The Seal
by Praeceps
Summary: AU. I don’t want to cry anymore. I’m so tired… R & R! And I DO mean Read & Review
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters in this story; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

Probably not writing anything original, but thought I'd give it a try anyway, since the blasted idea wouldn't leave me alone…

Hope you enjoy the story, though I can't promise regular updates as I at this point ain't completely sure how the story is going to enfold. Oh well, getting there is half the fun!! Enjoy!

****

The Seal

Prologue: And he slept…

"Hahahaha!" A white haired youth laughed as he leapt through the burning village, villagers scattering away from where he set his feet. As he clawed at another building, he growled at the fleeing people, his dog-ears flattened to his skull, "This is only what you deserve! Just as *I* deserve the _jewel of four souls_!" He snarled at the people, prompting them to keep their distance, clutching the shikon jewel tightly in his hand, before he sprinted off into the forest.

Once alone in the safety of the forest, making sure there was not a soul nearby to hear, Inuyasha let out a howl of sorrow. 'It shouldn't have ended this way,' his mind raged, 'She was supposed to come with the jewel, and we'd live happily together.' What happened? He hadn't done anything to awake her wrath, not that he knew of, yet she had betrayed him, laughed in his face. 'At least I have the jewel,' he thought bitterly, tightening his hold on the pink orb, starring at it, 'And with this I can become a *true demon*…' 

Too caught up in his own bitter ramblings, he didn't catch her scent before she called out. "Inuyasha!" a female voice shouted out at him. Inuyasha looked up, seeking the source of the voice, just in time to see a arrow whizzing towards him. He just stood there, ears flattened in sorrow, numbly starring at the enchanted arrow *she* had shot at him, her aim perfect, as always, feeling like he was in the 'twilight zone'. 'Why…' was all he had time to think before the arrow hit him full force, pinning him to his living quarters, a huge goshinbuki tree. It was kinda funny, but the pain he'd been expecting, he didn't feel a thing… nothing. An arrow piercing him through his chest should at least bring some discomfort, but all he felt was an urge to lean back and sleep, to forget it all. His eyes met those of his slayer, probably for the last time; she was standing regally with a bow in her hands, glaring defiantly at him. "Kikyo…" he stuttered, unsure if to believe the sight before him, his mind fuzzy with the approaching sleep. She was standing there, her usual miko-clothing torn and bloody, hatred in her eyes. 'So this is it,' he thought peacefully, 'all for nothing… I wish I'd never come here.' The last thing he saw, as his eyes drifted shut, was Kikyo, picking up his crimson jewel, and then he fell into enchanted slumber filled with bitter dreams…

Praeceps: And that was the end of a very uninteresting prologue. Things should pick up next chapter, when our favorite mystery girl decides to show her face. And YES, the chapter will be longer than this SHORT prologue. (Mind you, not THAT much longer ;-) 


	2. Part 1: Going back

Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

Hope you enjoy the story, though I can't promise regular updates as I at this point ain't completely sure how the story is going to enfold. Oh well, getting there is half the fun!! Enjoy!

****

The Seal

Part 1: Going back...

Kagome popped her head out of the well carefully, wary of other monsters grabbing her, the first one had been more than enough… 'I thought all that was over…' Her eyes turned huge, when instead of the inside of a mini-shrine from where she had left, there was now a huge forest. 'Where…?' she caught herself midthought, shaking her head, 'No, when?!' As she cautiously wandered throughout the unknown, yet hauntingly familiar realm the well had brought her to, her mood started to sink, the place was too familiar for her tastes. 'I know this place…' Following a path not too often walked by the looks of it, she looked for anything to prove her wrong. "Alright, nothing to be scared of… I'm sure this happens all the time… it's bound to work out," she muttered trying to lift her spirits and not freak out. 'I just knew my luck would run out. The gods must be having a ball,' she thought somberly. After stumbling along the broken path her savior came in the form of a tree. 'Oh! The goshinbuki-tree!! I'm saved!' her thoughts cried out as she started to run towards the one seeming constant in her life. As she neared the tree, her hopes began to sink, when a long forgotten shape took form resting pinned to the tree. 'No, not here…!' she thought worriedly, leaning against a tree for support, 'How did I get here?' Her eyebrows scrunched up in denial, silent tears falling as she ran, never glancing back at the goshinbuki, 'Not this time, they won't. I won't let them… never again.' 

As the well came into view Kagome came to an abrupt stop. Her thoughts were chaotic, millions of possibilities of what could happen when she jumped. "It'll work out, it'll work out, it'll work out," she chanted as she closed in on the offending well. It looked totally innocent, just a normal, shabby, wooden well. Hardly something that ruined lives. Carefully Kagome swung herself up on the wells edge. 'Right. This is it. All I have to do is jump…' Starring into the abyss, she swallowed hard, 'right… jump…' The whole scene must have looked surreal; a girl poised to jump into a creaky old well… "I am insaneeeeeeeeee!" was the last thing heard as Kagome gathered her courage and leapt in. 'This better work.'

***

"NNNNNnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooo!!!!!!" The scream echoed throughout the forest, startling both the animals living there and the villagers nearby.

***

Deep down something stirred.

***

Kagome could be found crouched down in the well. Not a sound escaped her. It was so quiet that you might think her dead. Outside the well, one could still see the surrounding forest, and hear the twittering birds. The sun was shining, and it was a beautiful day, but none of that mattered to the girl in the well. She was still in the past…

Finally she stood up. She brushed her clothes free of dust. She climbed up the well. She looked around. The girl looked rather numb, only one thought circling in her mind: 'No. No. No. No no nononono…!!' Kagome squeezed her eyes shut. Her hands fisted. Her whole body shook. The forest turned silent, witnessing her trembling, as Kagome slowly lost control. Shaking a fist at the sky she screamed, "Do you hate me so much? DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH?! ARE YOU LAUGHING NOW, HUH?! ARE YOU LAUGHING NOW?!" Lashing out at the cursed well that had brought her to this miserable state, kicking at it with all her might, she continued her mantra: "I hate you. I hate you! I HATE YOU!!!"

In the end there was nothing she could do, she was stuck here. She could scream some more, and maybe draw back that monster; or she could pull herself together, grit her teeth and go in search for help. Wasn't much of a choice was there? Gathering her wits, Kagome once again made her way towards the goshinbuki, not knowing where else to go. 'Well at least it's a beautiful day.'

The tree was still there, surprise, surprise, when Kagome walked into the clearing. So was Inuyasha. Looking up at the sleeping youth, Kagome's curiosity peaked. She needed something to distract herself with, and climbing up the old tree was no real challenge. As she hoisted herself up on a branch, eye to eye with the sleeping figure, she was surprised. 'Why he's just a boy! I always wondered…' Frowning at him with mild disappointment, her eyes slipped over to Inuyasha's doggie-ears, 'Hello?! What's this?' Carefully reaching out a hand to touch the oddities, she found herself smiling, forgetting her troubles. Blushing in embarrassment she thought to herself, 'I can't believe I'm doing this. What would he think if he woke up…?' Catching herself in that thought, her smile fell, 'But he's not going to wake up is he…? Poor Inuyasha…' Leaning into him she closed her eyes, smiling while snuggling closer, 'Mother always said 'Misery loves company…'

***

Contentment. Something warm was closeby. Nothing else mattered. Only the warmth. And then, abruptly, it was gone…

***

"Let me go!! You didn't have to tie me up you know!!" The villagers continued to ignore her, chattering amongst themselves. Instead of with Inuyasha, she had woken up alone, bound to a pole, in a village she had thought she would never see again. How had she slept through that?! Why had they bound her?! And why would no one listen to her?! "What is it with you people? Let me go!" Nothing. She was still ignored. 'I can't believe this!' she thought steamed, 'They don't even know who I…' Her thoughts were abruptly cut off, when the villagers fell silent. Someone important was coming. As the villagers parted, Kagome craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of who was approaching. An old miko stepped forward out of the crowed, eyeing her, and Kagome couldn't help feeling she should know this person. 'But I don't know any one-eyed miko's,' she thought puzzled. The withered old miko continued to eye her warily, while she circle around her, making Kagome nervous. 'Does she know? Please don't. Please don't…' 

After minutes of silence, and endless circling, Kagome lost her nerve. "What?" she demanded, "Never seen a girl before?!" Quiet mutterings broke out among the peasants, something about her and demons. 'But that's ridicules!' she thought as she stared into the miko's eyes in defiance, looking much braver than she felt. "You are a clever one, the very image of her…" the miko finally spoke, grasping her face, "Not too clever though. My elder sister, Kikyo, died 50 years ago." Kagome's head snapped up, 'I look like Kikyo…?! Wait! 50 years?! This old thing is…' "…Kaede?" she breathed out in surprise, 'It couldn't be…' The miko snapped at her, her brows furrowing in anger: "Who are you? Why were you in the forest of Inuyasha?!" Caught by surprise by Kaede's tantrum, Kagome could just stare, feeling totally flustered, and thus blurted the first thing that came her mind. "I look like Kikyo?" she squeaked. 'Oh great! Very smart of you, Kagome. Ignore her question. Can't even deny you don't know them now. Kaede. And she's sooo angry… Wait! I really look like Kikyo? I look like Kikyo. Right! I look like Kikyo, so what of it? What to do, what to do…?' The miko Kaede cleared her throat, bringing Kagome back to the world of living, apparently she'd been speaking for some time it seemed and was expecting an answer. "Kagome, I'm Kagome," crossing her fingers that that was the right answer she stumbled on trying to ease their anger, "I came from the well…" '…and I can't get back,' she couldn't finish her thought, despair setting in, 'I'm stuck… I can't go home… I can't… go… back… ' 

Kaede grew quite flustered herself when the girl she'd been interrogating suddenly quieted, sniffed, and started sobbing. Not that Kagome cared at the time. Not knowing what to do with the crying Kikyo-look-a-like, she acquardly bent over patting the child on the back. 

***

The smell still lingered. The smell the warmth had left behind. It brought some comfort, but… it wasn't enough. He wanted the warmth back, the feeling it brought. Feeling? He? Who was he? Where was he? Was he supposed to feel anything? Slowly, strugglingly, he started his climb towards consciencesness. 

****

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Praeceps: This is where the story is supposed to get more interesting. (whether it is or not is up to you). At this point there's still not much to say, I don't even know if anyone has bothered to read this rather humble story. *sniff*

I actually have written the first few chapters already, but I'm withholding them as I'm not completely satisfied with them at this point.

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	3. Part 2: The girl that was not Kikyo…

Hello, we meet again!

I can't believe I actually got some reviews!! It's my very first time!! You won't believe the pleasant tingling you feel when you read that someone actually liked your story. It's kinda hard to believe. Thank you, thank you, this humble author treasures you all (I really do!!). I'll do my very best!! 

And now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

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The Seal

Part 2: The girl that was not Kikyo…

Later found Kagome in a villagers hut. The old miko Kaede's hut to be exact. She was still depressed, still sniffing a bit, but her ties were gone. She wasn't entirely sure how she'd gotten free, or when they'd done it, she'd been a bit too occupied with crying her heart out. 'Great first impression, Kagome,' she admonished herself, rather embarrassed, 'acting like such a cry-baby. How old are you? Five?' "Are you alright child?" a voice interrupted. "Huh?" Kagome jumped, turning to Kaede, who was passing her a bowl of soup. "Yeah, fine! Sorry 'bout that. Nothing wrong." Kagome winced at her own comment, 'I am an idiot!' Trying to lighten the mood, she tried again, "I don't suppose this is Tokyo?" She knew this wasn't Tokyo, Tokyo wasn't even built yet, but it might build some trust. "I never heard of the name. Is that the land of your birth?" Kaede asked. "I… guess so," Kagome stuttered, 'well it is… sort of.' "So tell me Kagome," Kaede began. Kagome closed her eyes, 'Please don't ask how I know you.' "How is it that you know my--"

Just then a ruckus was heard from outside. 'Saved!' Kagome cheered mentally, releasing the breath she'd held. Her joy was short-lived as a dead horse came crashing into their hut. A demon, the very demon who had started this whole mess, was ripping the village to shreds. It was huge, part giant centipede insect, part six-armed woman, and it was heading her way. As Kagome gasped, their eyes locked, and for a moment time stood still. 'No. She wants *me*.' "Give me the jewel of four souls," the monster bellowed, braking the moment. "The jewel?! You have the *jewel*?!" Kaede asked in disbelief. Paying no heed to the miko, Kagome followed the only clear thought in her head, 'Run.' And run she did.

***

He could hear the forest. He could feel the wind. He was awake. Why was he awake? He had died, he *remembered* dying. The arrow was there, he could see it, feel it. Why was he alive? How long had it been? What time was it? Some time must have past for the goshinbuki to have grown around him as it had. More and more thoughts whirled around his mind, questions that needed answering. But *not* now. *Now* he could smell a smell that he had hoped never to smell again. The woman that had killed him… Kikyo… was coming this way.

***

It was closing in on her. "Give me the jewel of four souls." "I don't have no jewel of four souls!" Kagome screamed back, running for her life towards the goshinbuki and the well. 'Well, it *is* true, after all,' she thought to herself. As the centipede-woman swooped down on her, Kagome found herself bitterly wishing she had practiced running a bit more often. "Why toy with second-raters like Mistress Centipede?" asked an arrogant voice from above. "Who?" Kagome looked up from her hiding place between the goshinbuki's roots, for the source of the voice, and froze. "Inuyasha?" 'He's *alive*,' was all Kagome could think, starring at the smirking youth. "Destroy her with a single blast, Kikyo! After all, you did it to me," Inuyasha urged, traces of bitterness lingering in his voice. 'Kikyo? He thinks I'm Kikyo?' "Whoa! Hey baka, my name's K-" Kagome began, but was interrupted mid-sentence. "She's coming." And then, low and behold, the monster woman attacked again. 

It got a bit tiring dodging the centipede all the time, and each time the monster was just a little bit closer to catching Kagome. Inuyasha didn't offer any help of course, being pinned to a tree, and being his usual chipper self, kept sending snide little comments towards her handling of the blessed beast. Luckily the villagers caught up with the battling duo, just as Mistress Centipede grabbed her. 

'No!' she thought as she felt the cold hands of the monster settling on her shoulders, bitter tears trailing down her chin, 'Not now!' And then her prayers were heard as spears dug into the centipedes flesh, making her loose her grip on her pray. "I'm saved!" Kagome couldn't believe her luck, as she scrambled out of the demons grasp. "Really, Kikyo, I'm disappointed," Inuyasha tsk'ed, from his perch on the goshinbuki. Kagome had had enough of his criticism, not helping at all, and calling her Kikyo of all things. "Listen you! I'm not Kikyo, never was, never will be!" she snapped at him. "Feh! Do you expect me to believe that I wouldn't know the *stench* of the girl who-" and then he took a closer look, and a closer sniff. "You're… you're *not* her…!" 'Finally!' she thought. "Get it now? My name's Kagome! Ka-go-me!" And the boy had the audacity to snort at her. "I'm a fool. After all, Kikyo looked intelligent…" and as an afterthought, "… and pretty." 'You!!! Not pretty… of all the things…' forgetting the monster for the moment, Kagome took the time to grumble, something she would sorely regret.

The villagers were having their own troubles with the monster. Strong as it was, it had already injured several of them, and they were born farmers, not fighters. As it pulled at its ropes, more spears fell out, and yet again it was free to seek its pray.

"Yeek! Let me go!!" she cried, grabbing onto Inuyasha for support when the monster yet again nabbed her, something he seemingly didn't enjoy too much. "You let *me* go!! Ouch, ouch, owowowow!!" Kagome had to agree with the boy, that holding onto his hair had to hurt, but there was nothing else to hold on to, the villagers were tired and hurt, and too weak to offer any resistance. "This body is so weak. I will devour you whole, shikon no tama and all," Mistress Centipede grinned at them, fangs elongating in anticipation of the kill. 'No, not that,' Kagome thought. "The jewel?" the pinned down boy asked in surprise, interest returned. The monster, locked on to Kagome's position, dove towards its target, its aim true. "No!!" 'Not now,' Kagome squeezed her eyes shut in denial, 'If only…' And then… she glowed bright, and the monsters arms fell off. 

Kagome relaxed, breathing out in relief 'I'm safe.' And was thus bitten by the monster.

***

Time slowed. Blood spurted. Kagome fell. And a forgotten jewel came into sight again. 

***

Kagome gasped. All was lost. The jewel was found, yet again. All for nothing. All for nothing. Someone would take it, and it would start all over again. And it hurt so much…

The monster was gloating, "I knew, I knew, I knew you were hiding it!" Kagome was eyeing the jewel as well, 'If I could just get it before--' "That jewel is *mine*!!" And all else looked up, finally realizing that the dead boy was not so dead after all. "Inuyasha is *awake*?!" Kaede gasped, "But that's not possible. The spell was meant to never brake. How?!" 'Now! While nobody's watching,' and Kagome ran for the jewel, for all her worth, 'Please, just this once. Just this once!' Forgetting blood-loss, forgetting the dangers nearby, forgetting that she was tired, she dove for it, all else forgotten. And failed, slammed into the goshinbuki by the centipede. 

"I've heard of such a hanyou. Inuyasha who seeks the shikon no tama. At last we meet," the demon purred, while coiling around the tree, grinding Kagome into Inuyasha. "Don't insult me, Mistress Centipede. If I'd wanted, our meeting would've been very short… and your last." Inuyasha smirked at the gloating beast. Taking no heed to the taunt, Mistress Centipede inched closer to the shikon no tama, passing just a quick glance at the silver-haired hanyou, "You cannot move, can you, demon boy? That's quite a spell you're under. All you can do now, is watch." And as Kagome continued to watch, the bloody jewel was swallowed, 'No!'

As Mistress Centipede's transformation took place, turning into a more grisly monster than before, Kagome felt herself breathing out in relief, 'They don't know. There's still hope.' "Hey," her thoughts were disturbed by her entrapped neighbor, "This arrow, can you pull it out?" 'What?! Oh! It might just work.' Struggling to get loose, in hope of retrieving the jewel, Kagome wrenched an arm loose, 'I will not go back! Never again!' "Live again, Inuyasha!!" she cried out as the arrow that held him was ripped loose, and desolved, 'Live and be free!'

What followed was one of the shortest fights Kagome had ever seen. It was nearly anticlimactic. Inuyasha just hopped down from his tree, flexed his claws, and mowed down the boosted monster in one strike. 'I had no idea he was *that* powerful,' Kagome smiled to herself as she marched through the entrails, grabbing her jewel on the way. 

Kaede came hobbling over to her as fast as her old legs could go, "Kagome! Guard the jewel, it must not enter demon hands!" 'What on earth are they talking about? Demon hands? What does that matter?' Kagome cast a puzzled glance at the old miko, "You think it gives power to demons?" '*snicker* Man have they got it wrong.' "Exactly. Meaning there's no point in a mortal keeping it," Inuyasha smirked, stalking over towards them flexing his claws, "So be a good little girl and hand it over, unless you'd rather feel the caress of my claws!" 'You gotta be kidding me. Not again,' Kagome eyed the demon boy warily, "No! The jewel is *mine*." Apparently that was not the thing to say, as Inuyasha a millisecond later pounced at her while growling, "Do you think I'm too gentle, little girl? Not when YOU STINK OF THE WOMAN WHO KILLED ME!!" "Yeeeeek!!!" 'Of course I smell like Kikyo, she-' Kagome dodged another blow from the enraged hanyou, he was getting closer and closer, and she was tired, and hurt, and really, really depressed… 'He'll win…' was her last thought as she sank to the ground, exhausted, 'The gods must really hate me…!'

Kaede saw when the young girl gave up, just sinking to the ground, waiting… It couldn't end this way. That power, the jewel, her resemblance, there was no other answer to who she was… Hastily she whipped up a beaded necklace, aiming carefully…

Kagome sat there, looking at her approaching doom, 'So this is it. That's all I get? 15 lousy years?!' And then hope struck, in the form of a necklace. As the necklace settled on the unsuspecting hanyou, who was still too busy charging her, Kaede screamed to her "Child! Utter a subduing spell! Any word to subdue him!!" And as Inuyasha made another snide remark, Kagome scrunched her brows in anger. He would not get the jewel. Not now when she… It wasn't over yet!! "Sit!!" The boy fell to earth like a sack of potatoes. She nearly felt sorry for him. Nearly…

***

Kagome learnt a great many curse words that day. Inuyasha didn't learn after the first subduing, or the second, or third… Come to think of it he still hadn't learnt, he was just too bruised to keep attacking. Currently they could be both found in Kaede's hut. Kagome, because her wound needed tending, and where else could she go? And Inuyasha, well he followed the jewel, and since he didn't pose any threat, they let him in.

Kagome was at the moment musing over how in the world they had come to believe that the jewel gave power to demons, ignoring the lecture that old miko Kaede was currently giving. Turning her gaze to the revived Inuyasha, a thought struck her, she'd always wondered… and since he was there she might as well ask: "You. Why do *you* want the jewel? You're strong. You took out Mistress Centipede in one stroke. Why do you need more power?" No answer sprang forth from the sulking hanyou, so in the end Kaede decided to enlighten her: "He's only half a demon." 'Half a demon? What's the other half?' In speaking of his heritage, Inuyasha was roused from his corner. Smashing the floor to pieces, he gritted out "Oi, baba, you've been acting awfully familiar since we met. Do you think you know me?" Surprise settled on the miko's face, "Then you really don't know? You don't know Kaede, the little sister of the woman who enchanted you?" "It's been 50 years, Inuyasha. Mortals grow old," Kagome chipped in, having already had this discussion with Kaede earlier. 'They're old, eh? Good riddance,' Inuyasha gloated to himself, "Hmph, then Kikyo must be even more withered than you! Heh! What a bore you mortals are!" "My elder sister is dead… Died the very day she put that spell on you," Kaede whispered quietly. 'How will he take it?' wondered Kagome as she silently observed the hanyou's rapidly changing moodswings. He kept shifting between somber, bitter and a carefree gloating. "So, the little witch kicked it, eh? Nice to hear some good news." 'Yep, that sounds like something Inuyasha would say…' Kagome sweatdropped. 

Kaede apparently didn't like his reaction, as she was quick to burst his bubble. "Inuyasha, I wouldn't start celebrating just yet," she cast a glance over at Kagome, "There is the matter of reincarnation. Don't you agree, Kagome?" 'You gotta be kidding me…!' Kagome mentally snorted, 'Me be Kikyo… Although, this might work to my advantage…'

****

-

Praeceps: 

This is it for now. I have some parts already written, but there are some paragraphs that I don't like. I'm at the moment trying to fix them. To be perfectly honest I'm being rather naught. (I'm supposed to be up in my room reading for my exams, but as you can see I'm not. *ehehehe* tiptoes away from glaring parents.) 

I really appreciate when you tell me what you think. I'd like to hear some suggestions if you're bothered, but it's no biggie. Flames would be best avoided. (but I haven't got any yet, maybe I'm lucky)

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	4. Part 3: Getting to know eachother…

Hello, we meet again!

Several of you have asked what's up with Kagome. I won't tell you, because a) it would ruin the surprise (ain't I evil??) and b) it's going to become obvious in a couple of chapters away. (at least, that's the way I originally planned it to be.) 

I CAN tell you that Kagome has never met Inuyasha before, which you'll see if you read this chapter. Though it probably will leave you more confused with her. (I did it on purpose- 'That's my alibie and I'm sticking with it!!')

And now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

****

The Seal

Part 3: Getting to know eachother…

Inuyasha perched up on a branch, pondering. The Kikyo-look-a-like was touring around the village with the baba, being introduced as Kikyo reborn. It was starting quite a ruckus. People praying to her, bringing offerings. It was amusing to watch, the girl getting all flustered, not knowing what to do. He'd been following them around in the beginning, but had been spotted by some children, and chased away for scaring them. Right now he was busy trying to adjust to the idea that 50 years had past, and that Kikyo was dead and already reborn. Reborn… 'Keh! That twit is Kikyo? Not a chance,' he snorted to himself. 'Kikyo was pretty… and she smelled nice.' He'd never mistake that wench for Kikyo… yet he had… Forget Kikyo. Kikyo had betrayed him. Kikyo was dead, 50 years ago.

***

Kagome had finally snuck away from Kaede. It was all fine and dandy to be paraded around the village as Kikyo, it kept them from asking too many questions, but it was still kind of freaky when people bowed down to her. It made her feel special. Not that she wasn't special, but usually she'd received a completely different treatment than pure awe. It was… weird. Unsettling, knowing they only did this because they believed she was her previous-- correction, Kikyo's reincarnate. She'd also been spoilt with fifteen years of normalcy in Japans future Tokyo. She smiled to herself, 'If they knew the truth I wonder if they'd be as generous with their praise?' 

Shifting her thoughts to more important matters, there was the awakening of Inuyasha. She'd thought him lost. Yet here he was, alive and kicking. 'Make that cursing,' she snickered to herself brushing some hair out of her face. Her amusement faded into a frown. Before the… incident, leading to Kikyo's death, she'd been hoping to… meet… Inuyasha. She had known how Kikyo felt about him, right to the very bloody, bitter end. Inuyasha had been the first thing to spark Kagome's interest in oh so many years. She had wanted him to win, because… because he reminded her too much of herself, and she wanted to know someone like *her* could win. The jewel was supposed to have gone to him, and though she now knew how warped the legend had become, she still would have liked to have known him herself. And she did. For a brief moment… 

'And now I have another chance.' Kagome sighed kicking a rock, shifting her pouch full of food offerings. "But things are different now. I don't want to go back… I don't want them to know…" she mumbled to herself. Shifting her gaze up to the sky, she stated irritably: "But I guess that someone else *does*! Selfish bastards!!" 

Shaking her head she turned toward where she'd last seen Inuyasha. At least she could have some fun, and get to know him _this_ time. She smirked, oddly enough giving a moderate enough impression of Inuyasha himself, "And like mama said, 'the way to _any_ guys heart is through his stomach.'"

***

Inuyasha was so deep in thought that he hardly noticed the approaching girl. A flying tomato was all the warning he got, his body reacting before it splattered his haori. "Eh?" Glancing down he spotted the wench just standing there smiling. 'The bitch!' He growled at the girl, hoping she could take a hint. She couldn't. 

"There. That's part of your share," she said, all smiles. 'My share? What the fuck's wrong with her?' "What's all that food?" He didn't trust her, she was up to something, and eyeing all that food she'd been given, she was doing quite well at it. 

"They're offerings from the villagers. Come on down, and we'll share it," Kagome continued, unfazed by his mistrust. 'Come on Inuyasha, don't make me say it.' 

Well… he _was_ hungry… Edging closer, he sat down by the girl who was already busy munching on her loot. 'Something is definitely wrong…' he thought eyeing the calm girl, 'She's not reeking of fear.' 

Inuyasha was eyeing her warily, she could feel his glare boring a hole in her back. "What are you scheming, bitch?" 'Scheming?' Meeting his eyes she smiled carefully, "Nothing, it's just… you. You hate me, don't you?" "YOU MAKE ME RETCH," he snarled out. 'Why that little… What'd I ever do?!' "Listen you, I'm *Kagome*, not Kikyo. I never will be Kikyo, either!" Kagome ground out. It was getting kind of tiring with this unfair treatment, him shoving all his resentment onto her. And though she _was_ hiding behind the charade of the whole reincarnation thing, she still would _like_ to be resented for her own actions, not a loooong dead miko's.

"Keh! That's what the baba says." The girl stared at him incrediusly, "And you believe her?! Dammit, I am *not* Kikyo!!" Considering the fact that the bitch was about to spontaneously combust with all that smoke steaming out from her, *that* wasn't that hard to believe. Kikyo had _never_ lost control of herself like this chick was. From this point on Inuyasha kept on egging her purely due to his own stubbornness and sadistic pleasure. 

Inuyasha schooled a carefully indifferent face, resisting the urge to flip her one. Counting his fingers as he lay it at her, he casually remarked: "Oh? You smell like her, you look like her, and you sound like her… so that must mean you *are* her." Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he smirked. She was slowly loosing her cool. Good. 

Kagome *was* steaming at this point. Here she was trying to be friendly, finally get to know him, and he had the nerve to… 'Why that son of a… Smell like her, SMELL LIKE HER?! After *all* I've been through!! I'll give him 'smell like her'!!!' And with that Kagome executed, admittedly unintentionally, the most devilish act to put the hanyou in his place, using one of Inuyasha's, and most other guys, few weaknesses. She broke down and began crying.

Inuyasha was sourly regretting making fun of her. She'd just suddenly started sniffing, all innocent at first. Then the quiet tears had come, and it had rapidly progressed to loud sobbing. Grasping for anything to stop the flood that was raining down at him, he waved his hand in front of her, trying to appease her, "Fine! You're not Kikyo. You're *not* *bloody* Kikyo!!" And then the rain stopped, and the warmest smile sprouted from her face. "I knew you'd see it my way," she grinned. 'I've been had. I can't believe it!' Inuyasha did the only thing he could. He facefaulted.

***

'Maybe I went to far,' Kagome eyed the sulking hanyou. He hadn't spoken a single word after that stunt, only throwing disgusted looks at her every now and then. She hadn't meant to offend him, just… What had she meant to achieve, come to think of it? Loosen him up? But it had felt good, all the same, to cry all out. Sighing at the obviously very childish hanyou, she braced herself, 'Well, only one thing left to do. Swallow your pride now…' 

"I'm sorry." He nearly didn't hear it. He actually thought he'd imagined it until she repeated it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that, it was mean of me. I'm sorry." Looking up, she actually looked sincere. Somewhat. Well that ruined all his plans for payback. All kind of ways of torture tossed out the window. Why did she have to go and apologise…? The nerve! He had just catalogued her as all the others, and then she had to go and apologies. She must be up to something…

It was rather obvious that he didn't believe her from the looks he was sending her. Well… who could blame him really. Here he was, back from the dead, facing the look-a-like of his murderer, subdued by her and mocked. But what could she do? She'd already said she was sorry… And she was under a lot of stress herself.

If anybody had passed by the two youths at this time, they would have met with a rather melancholic view. None of them were speaking, leaning against the tree, the air brimming with tension and awkwardness.

Finally, Kagome had had enough. They weren't getting anywhere. "So…" and there her courage ended. Inuyasha glanced up. What to say, now that she had his attention? "So," fumbling for anything to say, that hopefully wouldn't start another argument, she asked, "so, um… why *did* you want the jewel?" 

Inuyasha blinked. Hadn't they already been through this? Shaking his head at her, he answered gruffly: "As the baba said, to be a full demon." And then just to show that he was just humouring the puny mortal for now, he threw in, "You senile or something, wench?!" 

Taking no heed of the insult, Kagome smiled at him. He'd answered, insulted her as well in the process, but it was a start. "That's all? You want to be a full demon?" Kagome eyed him a bit uncertainly, "What's the difference?" The question caught him by surprise. "The difference?" he mouthed. Kagome nodded encouragingly, "Uh huh. The difference. Between full demons and halflings. There must be something different about them since you want to change. So, what is it?" 

It was such a simple question, totally innocent the way it was asked, yet he couldn't answer it, he'd never thought about it. People had just said so and he'd believed them. Why should they lie? 

Brushing the revelation angrily aside, it was too late now, he'd come too far, he huffed, "Feh! That's none your business." 

Kagome frowned at the answer, but didn't pursue it. "What you gonna do afterwards?" Inuyasha snorted at her, irritated, "What's with all the questions, bitch?" "I just wanted to know. No need to throw a hissy fit," Kagome sniffed at him, "I never met a demon before." Not really a lie… "You're cute. Decides, what harm could it cause? For all you know I might just give the jewel to you…" she looked thoughtful at him a moment before adding, "*If* you have a good reason. All you have to do is ask." And with that Kagome stood up, leaving behind a speechless Inuyasha. 'I can't believe I said that.' 

'Did she mean it?'

****

-

Praeceps: 

Ooooooo, we're nearing the good bits!! Soon we'll be trailing off from the original plotline, but not quite yet…

It's after we leave the plotline that it gets tricky. I *know* what happens before we trail off, but I have no particular idea what happens afterwards. I just have the destination in mind.

I'll also like to state at this point, what should be obvious, that Kagome is NOT all-knowing. She knows bits… WHY she knows some bits will come later. ('Aren't I nice?' Dodges books thrown at me.)

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	5. Part 4: Story time…

Aloha!! (Yes I know I don't speak Hawaiian)

This chapter is quite literally a story, but if you use your heads a light-bulb should… ehm… light up? (Looking around sheepish- 'Did that sound as corny as I think it did??) 

Anyway, this might clear up some questions about Kagome, but if I did my job right MORE questions should arise after reading this. 

However, I would appreciate it really, really, REALLY much, if some of you would be so kind as to point out what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong when writing this story. The whole point of writing this is to improve my puny skills as an author, and without any feedback, it's hard to improve. So please review, and tell me so that I can learn to entertain you better. (Boy, this looks formal.)

And now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

****

The Seal

Part 4: Story time…

"Miko-sama! Miko-sama! Can you tell us a story?" The village children came running up to Kagome as she neared the village, swamping her. 'A story?' "Sure. Why not," she smiled down at them. "Kaede-sama always tells her stories under the goshinbuki! Next to the sleeping demon!" a young girl volunteered. "Alright. Lead the way!" And off she was led by the gang of children. 'And I was just supposed to fetch the cat…' she thought wistfully.

The sound of laughter woke Inuyasha up. He'd been thinking about his earlier conversation with the girl, but had fallen asleep among the branches of the goshinbuki. Glancing down, the clearing showed a circle full of chattering children, and that wench in the middle of them. 'Keh. What's she up to now?' Edging closer, he eavesdropped.

When they had all settled, the children fell silent. It was kinda unnerving. So many children, and not a sound. It wasn't natural. "So what story do you want me to tell?" Kagome glanced around the semicircle. When it became apparent that Kagome wasn't starting any time soon, without prompting, the children broke out into small bickerings of which story to tell. As most children, they couldn't agree on a single story, leaving Kagome to make the choice. Raising her hand for silence, Kagome made her proposal. "Have any of you ever heard of the seal?" It was unanimous. None of them had heard the tale, not that *that* was expected. Smiling gently at the children, she began her tale. "Once, in the old days…"

***

Once, in the olden days, the people of earth believed that there were two kinds of beings: the divine and the mortal. This, as it turned out, was true. The people of the earth also believed that everything was in balance, and the fates were the ones that kept watch of that balance. This was also true.

The divine beings, were divine both in spirit and body, and they were called the gods. They were immortal, and their bodies were strong with unlimited power. But to balance them out and make things fair, the fates gave them weak and narrow minds. Their views were limited. That is why we have gods of war, gods of love, gods of anything you could think of. They can only see things one way, and focus on one thing, and thus they are fickle beings.

The mortal beings however, were not so powerful. Their bodies were weak, and they broke easily. They died… So to even the score, and make it balanced, the fates gave the mortals a strong free spirit. Free will. That's why humans and other mortal beings can be both good and evil, they are free to be anything they wish. They can choose.

Now, every now and then, a god would fall in love with a mortal. As their children would inherit traits from _both_ parents, they were neither pure mortal nor pure divine. Most of these halflings were born with a divine spirit and a mortal body. They had weak and frail bodies, and only a narrow minds. In short they got both the down sides. To even things out, the fates made them hero's, for who else was more suited than those who could not be swayed off their path…

***

Kagome paused, from telling her story. "Do you want to hear more?" "Yes! Yes!!" "Are all hero's halflings?" "What about the seal?!" "Yeah! What's a seal?! What's it for?!" Kagome heaved a sigh, the young ones were a bit more eager to hear the story than she'd hoped. Even Inuyasha had inched closer to listen. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you about the seal. Now… eh, where was I? Ah, yes! The halflings…" Flashing a grin up at the hanyou, she continued… 

***

The halflings were mostly born hero's, but there *was* another option. The genie… 

Only once was a genie born, and never again. The genie was a little girl, born from a god and a mortal woman. They loved her dearly… But the rest of the world grew uneasy, because *this* halfling was born not with a mortal body and divine spirit like other halflings before her, but with a _free will_ and _divine_ _body_. Born with a mortal spirit and divine power, she would be the most powerful of them all. The balance of the world would be broken were she to be set loose on the world.

The gods and mortals called down the fates, demanding that the genie be banished, while her parents pleaded on her behalf. The fates agreed that the child upset the balance of the world, but to destroy the innocent child for being born was not their way. It would be cruel murder then.

A long time the fates pondered on this dilemma, seeking fair judgement. Finally, after much time, the fates descended back down to earth, bearing news of the genies fate:

"The fates have watched this world since the dawn of time. Life and death, light and darkness, divine and mortal, all shall bow to us. The fate of all halflings has fallen in our hands and this we decree: From now on, and till the end Hero's are weak, and shall thus be hailed by all creatures of Earth long after their death, to restore order. The genie shall fall to servitude, her powers bound by the seal, and for all of her strength, she will be the weakest. So we command, so shall it be. Judgement is thus served."

Never again was a halfling born. The gods were too afraid of a new genie being born, and did no longer mix with mortals. The divine gods left the mortal plane of Earth, in the end, to escape temptation, and were seldom heard from. 

The genie was sealed, as the fates had commanded. Her powers bound, and she left helpless, a slave to any who held her seal. War broke out, among the mortals, for who would not kill to control the genie and hold her power?

***

"But that's not fair!!" a small girl squealed in dismay. "Life's not fair, small one," Kagome soothed her, "The genie is a slave, because she is too powerful. They were afraid of her." "But it's still not fair. Mama says slaveholders are bad," a tiny boy pouted. "Indeed. But if you could have any wish come true, would not *you* want to hold the seal?" The child pouted, insulted. "What happened next?!" "Did a prince come?" "Was she saved?" "What happened?!" Hushing at the excited youngsters, Kagome answered, "There's nothing really left to tell…" "All fairytales have happy endings, wench. Didn't your mother teach you that?" The kids momentarily scattered at the gruff voice. Inuyasha had crept down the tree during the story, and was now hanging on the lowest limb only meters above the group. "Inuyasha? You were listening?" "Feh!" Kagome flashed a smile at the white-haired boy, who refused to meet her eyes. "I suppose I have to continue then… though there really isn't much more to say…"

***

For years the genie served her masters, her seal shifting ownership many a time… 

Chaos ruled the earth, as mortals went mad with power. She was forced to slay so many lives, by her master's command. So many that she lost count after a while. She was soaked in blood, and it would not end… And no more tears would fall…

The fates took pity in the end. The divine gods had fled, and the mortals abused their decree, going mad with lust for power. But they were the fates, they could not undo their sentence. So once again they descended down to earth, this time to bring comfort and a promise:

"Take comfort, child. No creature is enslaved forever. That is not the way of the fates. When your equal is born you shall be freed. Wait for him, and he will come…"

***

"And so… the genie waited," Kagome ended her tale. "Did he come?" the kids chorused. "She's still waiting," Kagome gazed wistfully into the distance, "Still waiting…" "But that's not a happy ending!!" the children whined. "There is hope," she chided, "And some day, he will be born and come save her, just as a prince would. But only if we wait and hope."

Inuyasha eyed the girl. Something wasn't adding up. That story… Bah, it was only a stupid fairytale! And a bad one, too, to boot. 'Hope indeed…' he scoffed. Though the little runts seemed to like it. 'Keh. Kids…' 

****

-

Praeceps: 

The story was kind of stiff during this chapter, but I couldn't really help it. Originally this was part of another chapter, but the legend took up so much space that I decided to make it into a chapter of its own. I hope you readers don't mind too much.

I'm just going to take this moment to gloat! 

I'M FREE! I'M FREE!! NO MORE DEMONIC; HELLISH, BORING SCHOOL *EVER* AGAIN!!! I'M FINALLY FREE!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *wheeze* AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Thank you, I needed that!! (If you want to get technical, I'm not free until next Friday, but who cares? I'M FREE!!!)

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	6. Part 5: The smell of flowers…

Aloha!! (Yes I know I don't speak Hawaiian)

If you've looked at my authors page you'll see my ode to freedom from school. Yes. Yes it is true. IIIIIIIIIiiii'mmm FFFFFFFffffrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha *wheeze* hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Hrm… Yes I feel much better now that that's off my chest.

As you may notice, I will be updating this story a little less often than I have till now. This is because, as previously stated, I've now posted the already written chapters that I just had to polish up a bit. I still know in which way I'm heading with this story of mine, but now I actually have to write entire new chapters, instead of fixing up old pre-written ones. Never the less I will continue writing (unless all of you threaten me with a beating for my horrible lack of writing-skills)!!

Nothing much has happened yet (duh), but hopefully I'll be getting around to some action soon.

At this point some of you might wonder about Kagome (such a moody girl), I won't divulge any secrets about her at this point, but she isn't at this point a very stable person, not without reason, but I'm not telling… nyah nyah ;-p

And now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

****

The Seal

Part 5: The smell of flowers…

Inuyasha watch the village children race off to tell their parents of the new story they'd heard, shaking his head. His attention switched to the wannabe-Kikyo, who was now… staring up at him? Indeed she was. Why?

"Inuyasha, come down!!" "No." Kagome frowned up at the hanyou. 'Well, that was blunt. Oh well, when in Rome…'

Inuyasha was rather startled when instead of leaving, the little wench started to climb up to him. 'What on earth is she up to?' Staring at her, as she drew closer, his interest started to spike. She was a really weird girl, one minute she was making fun of him, the other she was being annoyingly sweet, and when left to her own devises she turned rather sombre. He couldn't figure her out. She was nothing like Kikyo… 

"Are you just gonna stare at me, or are you gonna help me up?" "Keh," he humph'ed grabbing her outstretched arm and hoisting her up. 'Just this once…'

Once safely perched on the branch, Kagome took the time to admire the view. "Wow… I see why you lived here. It's nice." She glanced over at him. He was eyeing her warily. "What do you want?" "I just wanted to talk." She looked troubled. "Then talk," was the curt reply. She cast a searching glance at him. He was willing? 

"It's a sore point." Inuyasha eyed her curiously. What was she talking about? He hesitated a second wondering if he really wanted to encourage her to pester him. In the end curiosity beat annoyance.

"What's a sore point, wench?" Kagome jumped, not expecting a reply. Clearing her throat she looked him strait in the eyes. This might be her chance to come clear. Partly at least. And for some odd reason it was important that he believe her. Hesitantly, yet gaining courage, she spoke, "Kikyo. She… I'm not Kikyo." 

Inuyasha wanted to bang his head against a tree, or something else conveniently placed near by. 'Oh no, not this again. Doesn't she get enough?' He eyed her dubiously, rubbing his temples, "You smell like her." 

Kagome perked up at his reluctant reply. 'Is it my imagination or was that more of a question than a statement? Let's see where this may take us…' 

Inuyasha was a dog-demon. Dogs have a great sense of smell, and so did he. Dogs also had cute, furry ears that drove her crazy, just like Inuyasha's, but that was besides the point. Kagome knew this. She _knew_ that all living creatures perceived the world through their own senses, and humans would see a very different world if their senses were as enhanced as his. Inuyasha didn't just _see_ people, he sensed them; through sight and sound and smell, and probably through touch aswell. There was no end to the ways that he could perceive people. He knew them, knew their looks, heard their heartbeats, read their scents. He _saw_ them. All of them. And he would remember them always. Kagome understood this. Heck, that was probably part of why she was so fascinated by him, besides his gruff attitude and tragic history. But more importantly, she could use this now, explain to him what no one else could possibly comprehend. Make him understand, yet still keep her precious secret from him, from all of them.

Shooting him a evaluating glance, she presented her question as neutrally as possible, trying to gage his reaction to it. "What do I smell like, really? No, let me rephrase that. What did Kikyo smell like?" Silence. Good, he was thinking about it. 

"She smelled sweet. Like flowers." 

The answer came so abrupt that she was startled, nearly loosing her footing on the branch. She hadn't actually expected an answer from him, figuring he'd try to skirt around the subject or completely ignore her. She was pleasantly surprised. Of course, that didn't matter if she were to fall out of the tree and break her neck.

Inuyasha dove towards her as she toppled over. Pure reflex. Their eyes locked, as he held on to her, pulling her back up, and she couldn't help it. She smiled. "Thank you." "Keh." He looked away, too embarrassed to even insult her. 

When both had settled back on the branch securely, Kagome taking her time to lock her limbs around the branch in a comfortable manner, she continued her ploy, slowly prodding him down the right direction. "So what do you smell when you smell me?" "Look, bitch, I already told you, you smell like fucking Kikyo, only…" He stopped, not willing to say more. Kagome let out a triumphant grin, but avoiding sounding smug. "I smell a lot stronger, don't I?" 

That was exactly it. How had she known? 

"I do, don't I." Inuyasha could hear the satisfaction in her voice, and it angered him, rubbing against his bruised ego. The little wench was right, and she was revelling with that knowledge. She was pushing all his buttons.

"So what of it?!" He sounded more like a pouting child, than a grown hanyou. Kagome could hear the suppressed anger behind his growls, directed at her. Time to tread with caution, she had to go straight to the point before he lost his temper.

"Kikyo was the guardian of the jewel, was she not?" A curt nod followed. "And she was around the jewel a lot. Right?" Another nod, though he was getting more hesitant. "Kikyo didn't only smell of flowers, did she." "…" 

He didn't know what to think. Thinking back, there _were_ times when she smelled less flowery, and more… bitter. Well bitter wasn't the word for it either. Behind the smell of flowers and sweet fresh air, lurked a more melancholic smell. 

"It's the jewel." "Huh?" his head snapped up. Kagome was gazing at him with an unreadable expression. "The smell… it's because of the jewel. She was around it all the time. It rubbed off on her. It was the jewel you kept smelling, not Kikyo." It was Inuyasha's turn to frown. "Than why do you look alike?" "I'd say pure fluke. And we don't look identical. We have different eyes. And her hair was straighter." 

'That's true. The wench does have a point. But…' Inuyasha's eyes widened, 'Hey, how'd the bitch know what Kikyo looked like?! She died 50 years ago.' 

The clinking of beads brought him back to the present. The girl was smiling sadly at him, holding the prayer-beads, the very ones used to subdue him. "Here. You can keep them as a momento." "Wha-why…?" Inuyasha's brain was having trouble processing this strange behaviour. Didn't she have a single preservation instinct? Was she insane? He voiced his thoughts. Kagome laught softly, though she wouldn't meet his eyes. "You are wild, ne? All wild creatures should be free." She looked way from him, leaning softly against the goshinbuki's bark with a sigh, gazing at the setting sun. "It's a horrible feeling, you know, not being in control… To know that for all your strength, all your pride, just one word… _one_ _word_ will reduce you to… well you should know, ne? It… it ruins you. It's like you loose a part of yourself. I wouldn't wish that on anyone… no one. I suppose that telling that story reminded me of that." The last came out in a whisper. Inuyasha opened his mouth to demand more answers, but was cut off by a quiet sniff. She was crying again. "Please don't ask me, Inuyasha," she pleaded softly, resting her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes she continued, tears still flowing, "I keep secrets. And I can't tell you them." His ears flicked to and throe in indecision. She sounded so tired and weary, nothing like the girl he'd come to know in this short amount of time. And she'd FREED him… But she was hiding something, she'd admitted so herself… Another sniff escaped her lips. 'Sigh… I'm going soft.' He reached out a clawed hand to her. The surprise on her face was worth the unusual action, as she took the proffered hand, smiling unsurely. He'd let it go this one time.

Two people could be seen that night, sitting in the goshinbuki. One leaning against the other, having drifted off to sleep. The other gazing at the stars, arm slung around the first one, keeping her steady…

****

-

Praeceps: 

Yes, now it is done. This chapter that is…

If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line. I really appreciate all your ramblings (not in anyway meant as insulting, just clearing that up), and might use some for inspiration if permitted, but for now I have my own agenda.

Thanks to all you reviewers, especially Lirael who has reviewed all my chapters (see I really do read them), I'll do my best not to disappoint you all.

PS. Is nobody going to read and review my other story, soon to be stories?

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	7. Part 6: When you slay a village…

Aloha!! (Yes I know I don't speak Hawaiian)

Ah yes, another chapter. Good for me!! (No really. Good for me. Now I won't have to worry about being lynched!!)

I'm still amazed that I haven't been told off for writing so much dialogue. I'm not complaining though *grin*

This chapter is more focused on Inuyasha (again, I'm surprised I've gotten no complaints), and I hope I haven't slaughtered your view of him entirely…

There's not much more to say before the chapter, so:

Now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

****

The Seal

Part 6: When you slay a village…

When they were spotted, returning in the morning after sleeping in the goshinbuki, the villagers were alarmed to learn that Kagome had freed Inuyasha. The village men hastily gathered weapons to protect themselves with, certain of a bloody fight. Instead they found two teenagers quietly walking down the path, Kagome trying to convince the grouchy hanyou into staying at Kaede's place with her. 

When they reached the mob, Kagome simply grabbed hold of Inuyasha's hand, continuing like she didn't see them. Her actions left both the mob and Inuyasha quite flustered. 

"Oi, bitch, what'cha up to?" "Hn?" Kagome turned around, when he refused to follow her, not understanding, "What?" "Take a fucking look," Inuyasha pointedly glared at the armed mob. Sticking her tongue out and jabbing him in the ribs, and acting otherwise very unladylike for a supposedly reborn miko, Kagome waved the villagers unconcerned off, "Baka. Scared of 'mere mortals' are we?" "Fuck no! You should worry about them." Kagome merely giggled. It was so easy to rile up the boy. Winking at the village men, who at this point were inching away from this strange scene, Kagome made a sign of peace, "Aaah… Inuyasha's just being grouchy. You wouldn't hurt him, would you?" Spinning around, she continued towards the village. 

Inuyasha remained, still uncertain, as the armed villagers still hadn't lowered their weapons and having seen the miko leave were gaining courage to approach the growling hanyou. The miko had left. Was not that the same as giving them her blessing? 

'I guess they still remember me trashing their homes,' Inuyasha thought wearily as they closed in on him. Getting ready to fight for his life, not that they posed a real threat, it was the principle of the thing, he grew angry, 'Fuck it! They started it this time!' He hadn't done anything this time. As they charged him, he brought his claws out ready to bring them down. It looked like more blood would be shed this morning. A pity.

It never happened. One minute they were charging him, bellowing war-cries while aiming arrows at him, the next they stood frozen. Kagome was standing in front of them, hands out to protect Inuyasha, fury evident upon her once beautiful face. 

At the sudden appearance of their beloved miko, and her obvious displeasure with them, the villagers came to an abrupt halt.

When the villagers stopped their foolish actions, though reluctantly, Kagome slowly lowered her arms down, the need for protecting her hanyou over. Schooling her face into showing no emotion, she fought to regain control over herself and her anger, betraying none of the emotions raging within her. 

"You worship me, you claim I am Kikyo, yet you will not obey me?" her voice was low, emotionless and she exhibited no viewable power, but her stern gaze, yet the villagers cringed in her wake, ashamed. "You will not harm Inuyasha." It was NOT a request. The villagers fled before her. 

Inuyasha wasn't quite sure how to handle her himself. Would she turn on him now? Breathing out she smiled sadly up at him, all Kikyo-likeness gone like it was never there, "I'm sorry." Grabbing his hand once again, and he let her do it without arguing this time, they walked on in silence.

***

"WHAT HAVE YE DONE CHILD?!!" 

Obviously Kaede didn't take too well to seeing Inuyasha unleashed either. 

Inuyasha was standing next to her, arms crossed, stoically ignoring the old miko's outburst. "I said I freed him. He isn't trying to kill me anymore, so keeping him leashed wouldn't be fair," Kagome ignored the disbelief showing on Kaede's face, making shushing noises at Inuyasha who at this point had started snickering at the quivering old crone. 

Inuyasha was having the time of his life. He was alive, he was free, and that crazy girl that looked like Kikyo but wasn't was protecting him, yelling at all that spoke ill of him. First the villagers, then the local women that dared show their appreciation of him with their numerous fruits and vegetables, and now the old bat Kaede was getting her share of the girls crusade for hanyou's rights. It… felt… good. The girl was… nice. There was something weird about her, and he didn't trust her as far as he could throw her (actually he could throw her quite far, but that wasn't the point), but she treated him like a person. She talked to him kindly. She… she trusted him. Him. He didn't know why, but for now he'd honour that trust.

Kagome continued to ignore the miko's pleas of putting the leash back on the "vicious, bloodthirsty, childslaying" demon, more important things on her mind… like how to get back home. If she stayed here in the feudal era more monsters would surely come for her jewel. That was NOT acceptable. 'There must be a way that I could get back home.' Obviously the well wasn't willing to let her through at this point. Maybe tomorrow? Kagome sighed, the odds were against her, 'Someone must really hate me up there…' 

Turning back to Inuyasha, who was also tuning out Kaede's rant, she nudged him lightly to gain his attention. "You hungry?" she smiled up at him, walking towards her stash of food left beneath a tree from yesterday. "Keh!" was his only reply, but he followed her anyway. Kaede was left behind, shaking her head at the folly of youth.

***

Back at the tree, where their first, if not _most_ successful, conversation had taken place, Kagome and Inuyasha settled down to eat again, though they were more civilised this time. Well, Inuyasha was more civilised, Kagome was ALWAYS civilised. 

After eating in silence for a while, Kagome's curiosity piqued. She'd been thinking about how the village men had attacked Inuyasha without reason for some time now. Since her scolding them, they had been left to themselves for now. The villagers had not been openly rude, probably because she was there to keep watch, but they were ignoring them, avoiding them even, whispering about him behind their backs. Was it always like this for him? 

"You wanna tell me why they're scared of you?" Inuyasha simply snorted, munching on his part of the loot, "I'm a demon, isn't that enough?" "No." He did a doubletake at that answer, but she looked completely serious. 'Alright, this is new.' "Where I come from you don't judge a book by its cover. You seem nice, why should they be scared?" she claimed matter of factly. He scoffed at her, 'Shows what she knows.' "I trashed their village when I stole the jewel. Not so nice, eh?" He grinned at her. She shrugged casually, "People make mistakes." "_What? _I torched the bleeding place, smashed their puny houses, slaughtered their fucking livestock, and all you have to say is PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES?!!" 'Is she fucking stupid or what? "People make mistakes," indeed. What is she _thinking_?!' 

By now they had of course the whole villages attention. How could they not, with the spectacle Inuyasha was making of them.

Kagome glanced down at her fingers, unperturbed by Inuyasha's foulmouthed ranting. "So I suppose that that means you don't regret it, huh?" she sighed, sounding mildly disappointed. "REGRET IT?! REGRET IT?! OF COURSE I FUCKING REGRET IT, BUT THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT *I* *TORCHED* *THE* *VILLAGE*, and Kikyo killed me for it."

He wanted to smack himself. He hadn't meant to say all that. Especially to her. It made him seem weak. If Sesshoumaru found out… hell, if ANYONE found out… Oh, he was sooo screwed!!!

A soft hand squeezed his shoulder, reassuring him. The girl (Kagome?) was looking at him seriously, but with a soft smile, "But that is why it was a mistake," and eyeing the eavesdropping villagers spoke to them directly, "and why you should be forgiven."

Looking off into the distance, Kagome sighed, letting go of his shoulder now that she had made her point. "It's been a hard life for you, hasn't it Inuyasha? The way people treat you, I bet you were lonely, and then Kikyo… but she died didn't she? One should not speak ill of the dead." 

Inuyasha eyed her silently, 'She was there?' It was rather unnerving how she seemed to know him so well, while he didn't know anything about her. "You're a good person, Inuyasha, deep down," she stated, looking him straight in the eyes. He almost believed her… "Demons aren't good," he retorted. "Whoever told you that?" "Who hasn't?" He snarled, turning away. A hand, yet again on his shoulder, stopped him, making him glance back at her. She was smiling, albeit sadly, "*I* have." 

And yet again Inuyasha was speechless.

****

-

Praeceps: 

I think this chapter brought some insight, maybe not much, but then again we know very little about mister Inuyasha's past. Still, I think we all agree that handsome here is a decent hanyou.

There should be ca. one more chapter, maybe two, before some action starts coming into the picture. We're still in the 'getting to know eachother stage'… although they are behaving like good little kiddies, aren't they?!

Oh! And any spelling mistakes can be blamed on incompetent English teachers, and/or my spell-check program, because I, myself, am PERFECT!!! ;-P

If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line. I really appreciate all your ramblings (not in anyway meant as insulting, just clearing that up), and might use some for inspiration if permitted, but for now I have my own agenda.

Thanks to all you reviewers, especially Lirael who has reviewed all my chapters (see I really do read them), I'll do my best not to disappoint you all.

PS. Is nobody going to read and review my other story, soon to be stories?

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	8. Part 7: Things that go slap in the night

Aloha!! (Yes I know I don't speak Hawaiian)

Um… I won't say much up here, but will say more after the chapter. 

I have decided that I'll post ca one chapter a week, giving me some time to accumulate some more chapters. It's been going rather nicely till now, but you never know when you're going to develop a sever case of writers-block. Better safe than sorry, you know? ;-)

I have only a few more pleas before you may read:

PLEASE, DON'T KILL ME AFTER READING THIS!!! IT REALLY _WAS_ NECESSARY!!

I'M GOING TO GET FLAMERS FOR SURE!!!

Now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

****

The Seal

Chapter 7: Things that go slap in the night…

It was the third night the girl had been there. The third night he was alive again. She had first appeared the night he awoke, and he couldn't believe all the changes that had taken place in such a short time. To him it seemed that they hadn't done anything but argue, yet… how had they become friends if that was all they did? He didn't understand her. Did he hate her? Hate her for looking like his executioner, hate her for making him remember, hate her for knowing him so well, when he didn't know himself?

Sighing, Inuyasha glanced sideways, observing the object of his currant thoughts. She was curled up on her futon, at the old bats, 'supposedly Kaede', place. She looked sweet, innocent, harmless… but was she? He didn't know… 

Actually, there was very little he DID know about this… girl. He knew that her name was Kagome. He knew she hated being compared to Kikyo, which had brought him hours of amusement. He knew she wasn't from this place. He knew she had the Shikon no Tama, and it erked him that she wouldn't give it to him. But most importantly: He KNEW there was more to her than met the eye, and that she was keeping secrets from him. She'd said so herself. He HATED that! He hated NOT knowing.

Flexing his claws, he crept closer to her. Enough with these silly games. He'd asked… nicely, he'd humoured her peculiar antics, not that they didn't benefit him, but enough was enough. He wanted the jewel, and he'd take it. She couldn't complain, it was her fault for trusting him… a demon.

Inching closer, he was now practically hovering over her. So close. He could see the pink jewel, nestled on her collarbone, her chest rising evenly in her deep slumber. If she woke up now… A smirk appeared on his face. 'Boy would she scream.' 

A hand reached out, hesitantly at first, but slowly gaining confidence, towards the sleeping girl. While he was slowly working up his nerve his thoughts whirled around previous scenes shared between them, trying to subdue his guilty conscience.

*Flashback* "You're a good person, Inuyasha, deep down." "Demons aren't good." "Whoever told you that?" "Who hasn't?" "I have." *End flashback*

'Hmph. Show's what she knows,' he scowled. Yet his hand was still just hovering above the jewel, not moving an inch further. "Keh, this is stupid. Is a fucking bitch going to stop me?!" he muttered angrily to himself, careful not to wake the other residents of the hut.

"Sigh. Inuyasha…" He was startled from his silent pondering, by the wenches sleepy mumbling. She rolled over on the futon, facing him, while lying on her side, smiling softly in her sleep. The same smile he remembered her flashing him over and over again, during these few days he had known her. Her arm crept towards him, reaching out to him, seeming to sense him lingering near her, but his senses told him she was still asleep. 

He let out a frustrated growl. The arm that had previously been closing in on the Shikon, was redirected to stroking some of her raven hair gently away from her face. His ears flattened, both in misery and shame at his cowardice. He couldn't do it. 'Damn her!'

***

Kagome was once again dressed in her green school sailor-uniform. It was still night, but that was the way she had planned it. To avoid Inuyasha.

The hanyou in question was deep asleep sitting close beside her. Her plans had come close to being ruined when she came awake to the sight of a slumbering Inuyasha leaning over her. She was still trying to decide if she should be worried or pleased. The yelp she'd let out when she came face to very handsome face, with him, had been small, but loud as hell to someone with Inuyasha's attributes. It…it had… unnerved her, a bit, to find him so close to her… and the jewel.

She felt like a hypocrite. Here she had gone to all that trouble assuring him that she trusted him, believed in him, and she was getting skittish just by him sleeping next to her. And what a lovely image he made, sleeping next to her. Kagome blushed, looking away. This just wouldn't do. The well was calling her, and it'd be best to leave while no one was watching her. That is if the well let her leave. At this point, she rather doubted it, the gods being cruel and all, but she wouldn't give up hope while no one knew.

Casting a last searching glance at the other occupants in the hut, particular the youngest of them all, and gracing him with a smile, she left.

***

Inuyasha could never say what it was that made him come alert so fast. One moment he had been in an impossibly deep slumber, which puzzled him as he couldn't remember having fallen asleep in the first place; the next he was wide awake, all his senses straining to pick up any trace of the, by now, obviously missing 'not Kikyo'-girl.

Swearing some rather choice words, not meant for mortal ears, yet Kaede _did_ survive hearing them, thank goodness (Keh.), he rushed out in search of the escapee.

Kagome, blissfully not aware yet of these non-flattering words used to describe her person, had in her leisurely stroll only made it as far as the opening of the forest, having placed more value on the art of masking her presence than haste at the time. She was at this time still in high spirits, having actually managed to leave the hut, a feat she had not believed she would succeed in, sharing the hut with a inu-hanyou as she was.

Her mood though was rapidly sinking. She KNEW she was helpless, by her own restrictions naturally, and the forest was in her paranoid mind filled with dangers. In the time where she'd come from, people did _not_ go into dark, dank forests at night. There were dangerous people in them, and if it was a big forest, like this one, there might be some dangerous animals. Some vicious predator, waiting to attack her, and that was in 'her' time. Here there were youkai… Demons, making little to no noise, waiting to pounce on her and her jewel. Like that creepy chittering she was hearing… 

…or the growl that could be heard right behind her, from an enraged male half human, half inu-youkai.

"Um… maybe I'll turn back now," she sweated.

Inuyasha was NOT amused. Here he was feeling guilty, of all things, for even considering taking the Shikon without the bitch's permission, and she had the nerve to… to… Oh, someone was going to die!!!

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!!!" Kagome was more concerned with Inuyasha's claws which were alternating flexing and fisting, looking like they were anticipating a nice neck to strangle, than his gruff fix'er-up'er attitude. Inching towards a tree, wishing to put _anything _between him and her, she pathetically squeaked, "Um, going home?" The glare he sent her told her it would have been best to keep quiet. 

"Listen bitch-" And the tables had turned.

Inuyasha knew he had done something… bad, when the 'puny girl' stopped shaking, and instead started glowing a pale pink, along with the Shikon no Tama. Pink. 'Such a nice fluffy colour,' Inuyasha thought, 'So _why_ is the girl glowing pink scaring me shitless?' She'd been nice and meek up until the bi- 'Oh, shit.'

"What is it with you?!" a very tense Kagome grit out through clenched teeth, eyes narrowed in barely concealed rage. "Bitch, wench, Kikyo, girl…" Inuyasha's ears were flattened tight to his skull, trying to dampen the terrifying sounds slowly rising in volume. "…CAN YOU NOT CALL ME BY MY NAME THIS ONCE??!!! IS IT SOOO HARD TO REMEMBER??!!! MY NAME IS KAGOME!!! KA-GO-ME!!! NOT KIKYO! NOT GIRL!! NOT WENCH!!! AND CERTAINLY *NOT* _BITCH_!!!"

Instincts and temper taking over, Inuyasha went on the heavy defence. "Keh. And why _should_ I call you otherwise, hm?" He leant over her, face to face, glare matching glare, voice dripping with venom, "You are nothing but a weak pathetic human. You were born weak, you will die weak, and there is nothing you can do about it!"

*SLAP!!*****

-

Praeceps: 

Well, um, as stated above: It *was* necessary.

And, um… *nerves twitch* …I wanted to show that not all was peachy in paradise?

I think this is the first sort of cliffhanger I've written till now… And I haven't even reached the action yet… 

…

GOOD FOR ME!!

Oh! And any spelling mistakes can be blamed on incompetent English teachers, and/or my spell-check program, because I, myself, am PERFECT!!! ;-P

If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line. I really appreciate all your ramblings (not in anyway meant as insulting, just clearing that up), and might use some for inspiration if permitted, but for now I have my own agenda.

Thanks to all you reviewers, I'll do my best not to disappoint you all.

PS. Is nobody going to read and review my other story, soon to be stories?

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	9. Part 8: Nighttalk…

Aloha!! (Yes I know I don't speak Hawaiian)

This chapter is in memory of my rabbit, known to some as **_Honey-Bunny-Buns_** or **_Stinkbomb _**as I was quite fond of calling her. I was forced by parents (and the fact that nobody wanted a fat rabbit with an attitude) to put her to sleep. I shall miss her greatly. 

Next chapter MIGHT be delayed. I'll be off to baby-sit my younger cousins, and I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to access their computer to post the next chapter. If nothing appears in the following two weeks, then you know the reason (though hopefully their computer will accept me, temperamental little buggers that they are).

Oh, and before I forget, I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews!! I don't know what happened, one night I had ca 20 reviews, the next I was swamped with new ones, the number having now arisen to a awesome 48!! I'm touched!! It gives you this warm fuzzy feeling to know people don't think you're a total kook, so from the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU!!

^-^

Now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

****

The Seal

Part 8: Night-talk

There was silence. Ultimate silence. The whole forest had gone quiet, not a sound escaping it.

The wind had stilled, as stopped by unseen forces. The predators had stopped their hunt, pressed to the ground, in hiding. The game stood frozen, seeking to be as inconspicuous as possible, not moving a muscle. The birds were silent, not a trill escaping their beaks, as in fear of committing some heinous crime. 

Somewhere, a chittering stopped.

***

The echo of the slap slowly faded away, lost in the silent forest, but neither of the two facing eachother gave notice.

Inuyasha's face was turned sideways, from the force of the slap. His mind was not entirely there yet, still caught in the replay of the previous event.

In slow motion he could still see the girl's, Kagome's, silent glare, full of rage as he taunted her, a rage barely controlled, her body shaking with suppressed emotion. Looking back he could pinpoint the very millisecond she lost control; her eyes narrowing, pupils dilated to tiny pinpricks, glassy with unshed tears; her hair slowly rising, flapping to a silent wind of pure, pink, glowing power that surrounded her. 

She had looked positively feral. Not human. And for a moment, he had been very _very_ afraid.

And then, her rage gave way to surprise. He in realising that she had slapped him, feeling a stinging sensation on his now red chin; that she _dared_ to lay a finger on him, while being fully aware that he could so _easily_ break her, now that she had freed him; she in fascinated detachment, starring at her hand in wonder, as if not fully comprehending what she had done.

***

Kagome's eyes were wide, her mind a complete blank, eyeing the offending hand. _She_ had slapped Inuyasha. She had SLAPPED Inuyasha. _Why_ had she slapped Inuyasha?

*Flashback* "You are nothing but a weak pathetic human. You were born weak, you will die weak, and there is nothing you can do about it!" *End flashback*

As her gaze shifted to the silent hanyou who was still holding his stinging cheek, the tears previously held in check slid loose…

*Flash* "… and there is nothing you can do about it!"

…trailing slowly down her cheek…

*Flash* "… nothing you can do about it!"

…dripping from her chin…

*Flash* "… nothing you can do…"

…leaving wet red tear-tracks on her once pale skin.

And she _was_ helpless. There _was_ nothing she could do about it. Weak. Useless. _Nothing_ she could do. Even if she wanted to. Nothing. Not a single thing. And yet…

Eyeing her hand once again, she fisted it. She _had_ done something. She had slapped Inuyasha. Slapped him hard. Slapped him good. She hadn't thought, planned, or considered anything. Just reacted. For the first time in years she'd _done_ something. It might have been stupid. It might prove a deadly mistake. But he'd deserved it. He had…

***

Inuyasha didn't know what to do. What do you do when someone slaps you? His youkai-side was boiling at her audacity, demanding she be punished for such an insult. He could already taste the coppery blood as he ripped his claws through her flesh. His other side was more confused, torn between its own anger and the urge to apologise to his only friend, who he had obviously wronged judging from her angry tears. 

It was the last thought that stopped him from giving in to his superior blood. Did he really think of the wench as his friend? He'd never had a friend before. Kikyo didn't count, she'd betrayed and killed him after all. He'd never really given any thought to how he treated others, it being given that they would treat him as filth, so why the hell shouldn't he do the same? But she hadn't… and now it seemed as his temper had run away with him and spoilt his only chance at a friend.

Ears flicked to and throw, betraying his uncertainty at the situation their harsh words had landed them in. Heart warred with mind. He didn't need friends, didn't want one; they only stabbed you in the back in the end anyway. Why _should_ he care about how the bitch felt; she was loony, and even if she wasn't, she was still a puny human. But she was crying…

A frustrated growl slipped out from beneath his lips, as he once again eyed the girl who was silently shaking from whatever emotion she was experiencing, tears still trailing down, making his nose twitch with the salty smell surrounding her, pink glow illuminating her trembling features. Their eyes locked together simultaneously, hers a silent burning fury, his a cool gaze masking his underlying confusion. 

"Listen bitch-" he began, only to be abruptly yanked down by her small fists, giving a yelp at having his hair pulled in a not so gentle way. "I neither _was_ or ever will be a _bitch_, Inuyasha," Kagome breathed down the hanyou's sensitive ears, lips pressed as close to them as possible; voice soft, yet clearly conveying her rage. "I may be weak, I may be helpless, and I will probably die this way, but I will _never_ let you say that humans are weak. Kikyo was human and she _killed_ you. Do not confuse weakness in body, with weakness of spirit. Humans are _mortal_, and that is the _only_ advantage you have over them, _boy_," she hissed at him, finally letting him go.

Inuyasha watched her sink down to her knees, strength spent on those final words. The glowing light held only the faintest of sheen, now that its owner was drained, emotionally empty. She really _did_ look weak and pathetic, resting there on the forest floor, tears trailing down her worn-out face. Strange how that did not bring any comfort to him after the tongue-lashing she had given him. Instead, all he could feel was pity. All his anger snuffed out with one look at her melancholic visage. He felt sad for her looking so sad and beaten. She should be smiling that smile that annoyed him so, not moping on the ground. 

'Keh, I'm loosing it,' he shook his head at his thoughts.

Crouching down, he brushed her raven hair aside from her face, wiping her tears from her eyes, by way of silent apology. She sighed tiredly, leaning in to the touch, "I am tired Inuyasha, and all alone." Smiling bitterly at him, eyes showing age beyond her years before she closed them, "I want to go home, Inuyasha, make them let me go. I don't want to be afraid anymore…"

Inuyasha smiled down at her as she breathed out, having fallen asleep in exhaustion. He didn't understand her, and he knew she was hiding things, but right now he couldn't be angry with her. She looked too peaceful, in her sleep. 

"Let's get you back to bed… bitch" he added with an affectionate whisper, carrying her slumbering form back to the village.

***

Eyes followed the two through the dark, nightsounds masking its presence. Only a lone pink orb could be made out, its soft shine braking through all shadows threatening its master, illuminating her face in a ghostly light. Its strong glow spoke of power, lots of power. 

Voices drifted eerily through the air, thick with in the night, mixing with all other forestsounds, till they were no longer voices but a ghostly quire of sound. Only a foreign chittering could be heard, far in the distance, driving a chill down their spine, making them restless.

Twin orbs of gold turned, directed towards it, searching the shadows for hidden threats. A soft growl escaped it, when it could not sense the disturbance it knew was out there, clicking its tongue in disappointment. 

Narrowing its eyes, it left the village, not willing to risk detection. Darkness surrounded it, and all that was left to testament its former presence was the echo of unholy chittering and the soft rustling of feathers.****

-

Praeceps: 

Well, the reason for their fight was originally meant for a different reason (I won't tell you what), but as I wrote it I felt this was a good time for Inuyasha to become more accepting of Kagome (in baby-steps that is). 

And don't you dare say Kagome would never smack Inuyasha!! I think she would, if she didn't have the 'sit', and Kagome is in some ways a lot like Inuyasha, prone to react without thinking.

I wouldn't call the ending a cliffhanger, but it left open an idea of what's going to happen next… eh…maybe I shouldn't have said that…

Oh! And any spelling mistakes can be blamed on incompetent English teachers, and/or my spell-check program, because I, myself, am PERFECT!!! ;-P (and when I say perfect, I MEAN perfect. My daddy said so ;-) 

If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line. I really appreciate all your ramblings (not in anyway meant as insulting, just clearing that up), and might use some for inspiration if permitted, but for now I have my own agenda.

Thanks to all you reviewers, I'll do my best not to disappoint you all.

PS. Is nobody going to read and review my other story, soon to be stories?

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	10. Part 9: Getting your priorities straight

Aloha!! (Yes I know I don't speak Hawaiian)

Hallo, og god kveld!! ( I _do_ on the other hand speak Norwegian)

Hey, I've been gone some time now. I did warn you that that might happen. Did you miss me?

Though my aunt and uncle _did_ have a computer, their computer-table was HORRIBLE and if I'd used it it would have left me with the BIGGEST crick in the neck EVER!!! (You may call me selfish, but I semi-value my health.)

If that excuse doesn't work for you then:

MY RABBIT JUST GOT PUT TO SLEEP!!! LET ME MOURN IN PEACE!!!

…

…

Now this chapter I'm posting now may be a bit longer than normal, not much but a bit, but it's probably not my best work. Sorry, but some things just can't be helped. Some chapters right themselves, others you can just glare at and say: _"Meh, to hell with this, it ain't gonna get better."_

By the way, my internet conection has been REALLY CRAPPY this week that I've been back… I wonder why…?

^-^

Now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

(I really should change this disclaimer shouldn't I?)

****

The Seal

Part 9: Getting your priorities straight

The next morning Inuyasha awoke early, as was his custom. He'd slept well, especially considering his nightly excursion, and was feeling quite charitable towards his self-appointed charge. The wench had been too... upset... last night to handle a lecture, so reluctantly he had postponed it for today. And since he was in such a good mood he'd go easy on her.

Today was a brand new day. Today he would get to know the wench...

After he'd made sure she understood that the jewel was HIS, no matter _who_ was in possession of it at the moment.

He felt she had _at least_ raised a valid point last night, for a human; and due to his midnight revelation he'd decided to make a point of getting to know her. That's what friends did, wasn't it? And whether or not he'd intended it, they _were_ becoming friends. Oh joy.

But he had started to like the idea of having a friend, having HER for a friend. She... she kind of grew on you, what with her crazy opinions, eccentric attitude, warm smiles... In the short time he'd known the bitch, known being a relative term since he'd been more occupied with either insulting or killing her than anything else, he'd come to appreciate her presence. Having someone around that actually didn't hate his 'filthy hanyou guts'; that understood him, never mind how; it... was a nice change compared to the usual disdainful sneers he got from the rest of the world.

So for once, he would show some interest in another...

...besides Kikyo, and hope that THIS TIME it turned out a little better. He didn't want to go through all that again. Not that Kikyo had ever truly stood up for him like _she_ had, and she hadn't stood up _to him_ either like the wench... Kagome did, and _that_ had to be worth something. He just had to figure out whether it was a good or a bad thing, and he would find out THAT when he got to know her.

Cracking a yawn, revealing very pointy canine teeth, Inuyasha glanced about the room, mind still partly asleep, partly congratulating himself at how generous and forgiving he was.

There was the firepit, nice and warm, still smouldering.

There was the pot, from the smell of it still containing some leftovers from yesterdays meal.

There was Kaede, snoring quietly on her futon, big and wrinkly. He noted that she, unlike Kikyo, didn't smell too good, her scent a cacophony of different herbs that miko's use, resulting in a rather putrid smell that clogged up his nose if he lingered too long on the scent. Inuyasha still had some trouble connecting this old smelly hag with the tiny runt that had once been Kikyo's shadow. Maybe if she took a bath?

Moving on...

There was the open door, that let in the sunlight that had so rudely awoken him, which was kind of funny as he could have sworn he'd shut it last night.

There was the other bedding, empty, lacking a certain stubborn slip of a girl...

"..." Inuyasha stared disbelievingly at the empty futon. A futon that by all rights _should_ contain *one* *sleeping* *miko*, yet said miko was NOT present.

"FUCK!!!"

***

That morning the villagers of a little rural village from the Sengoku time era, or those that were awake at such an early hour, were treated to a red blur racing through their village. 

Those that weren't too startled would later tell their families, and the village miko when she came by, that they had heard the unidentified not-quite-flying-but-not-too-far-from-it object screaming in an enraged voice at the top of their lungs:

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL HER!!!"

***

The forest was changed, full of life, like it had taken a hundredandeighty degree turn in the opposite direction. 

Kagome marvelled at how different this scenario was in broad daylight compared to last night while picking her way through the seldom tread path. 

Birds were everywhere chirping their little hearts out, flying to and throe, building nests, feeding their young… A fox's tail the only thing seen of the creature, curled around a tree-limb, the carnivore trying to act inconspicuous while sneaking in on its prey… Small squirrels and rabbits could be seen out and about, cautiously feeding while searching for predators, and obviously not a moment fooled by the small reddish fox…

Inuyasha's forest was drastically altered when the sun came out, banishing all darkness. From its previous subtle quiet, to busy, busy, busy.

Originally she hadn't meant to leave again. She'd gotten the point last night when Inuyasha had cornered her in the woods feeling probably both betrayed and abandoned, and justly so, though he could have handled it a smidgen better than he had. They had both said their piece in the matter… or more correctly screamed their hearts out at eachother, scaring the local life into silence, the forest-dwellers that is, as the villagers were blissfully unaware of their argument, not too much intelligent wording leaving either of their lips do to anger and other clouded emotions…

When she had awoken, she'd been in the hut wrapped in a blanket on her futon. Considering she'd been too out of it to move, and did _not_ remember having done so, there was only *one* logical conclusion to draw: Inuyasha must have put her there. And for him to have put her there, he must have carried her… That thought alone was enough to bring forth a smile. He hadn't left her all alone in the forest…

The sun had just arisen, and since this was the feudal area glass-windows and curtains were not standard features in a hut. Thus, the streaming sunlight, filtering through the window bars of Kaedes hut, had awoken her.

All else were asleep, which was surprising as Kagome had expected to be awoken by an angry Inuyasha wanting to lecture her. She might be many things, but not naïve. If he hadn't lectured her last night, he sure as hell would do it NOW. On that particular quirk she had him pegged.

To be honest, it was the thought of said lecture that had made her sneak out. She was _still_ tired, after all she'd only slept a few hours according to her calculations, and did not wish to spend her time wasting away what little reserves she had managed to scrape up during her meagre sleep on Inuyasha's long triad. Besides, what right did he have to lecture her anyway, her conscience soothed her while she snuck out.

She had started, unconsciously, to take a early morning stroll. Having seen little of the village before, her curiosity had piqued. Here was the village that she had stayed at when Kikyo lived, and she could finally see it with her own eyes.

This was the forth day that she had been here, and she still hadn't seen much of it, firstly because she'd been a bit preoccupied by a murderess centipede trailing her, then villagers had crowded round her, praying to her and blocking her view, and lately she had been spending most of her attention on more important tasks such as getting to know Inuyasha and escaping home. 

So much had changed… and yet so little. More huts had been built to accommodate the increasing population of the village. More land had been turned into rice-fields and other farmlands… And still the atmosphere was the same as fifty years ago. The farmers could be seen getting up, a few already working in the fields. Women cooking food, minding children, who at this point were still mostly asleep on their feet. 

Nothing had changed. If she turned around it wouldn't be too hard to imagine a young Kaede skipping around a live Kikyo dressed in standard miko-clothing, Shikon no Tama around her neck.

It was the familiarity with everything that had made her flee into the bush, seeking refuge in Inuyasha's forest. _This_ familiarity she could do without…

And that was why she was here. In the woods. Alone. Once again nearing the bone-eaters well. The cursed well that had trapped her in this forsaken time periode, and that she now desperately hoped would free her from her misery… if she decided to jump that is. Because she hadn't yet. 

Back home she was safe. There were no monsters, youkai or miko's there, nor magical jewels and rebirth. No one knew that the 'Shikon no Tama' existed. Back there she was just plain old Kagome, a boring fifteen year old girl with raven locks and blue eyes, that obsessed with school and tried so hard not to stick out.

In this present time she had nothing. All future commodities were a long time from being invented. Back here there _were_ monsters; youkai and 'evil' men seeking her jewel. Back here she was _'Kikyo reborn'_ not Kagome, forever hunted and never able to feel safe. Back here she would always be in danger, and her secret at risk. There was nothing here for her.

But… back here there was Inuyasha, and she had never forgotten him…

The forest was still gleaming with life. The birds still sang, the squirrels still played on the branches, and the rabbits had fled from the fox. 

Nothing of that mattered to Kagome. Lost in thought, some happy, most dank and dreary concerning her lost sanity, her feet slowly turned around, destination lost, the well slowly fading away. 

She didn't care at this point about fresh air and green leaves, nor pay attention to the singing birds and other forest noises. 

It was a pity that she didn't. If she had she might have noticed that the birds had gone quiet. She might have become suspicious of the sudden lack of life or shadows crouched in bushes watching her. 

Being as she was she didn't see any of the signs of impending danger to her precious freedom or her guardian-role as the jewel-keeper; she didn't see two big rugged ruffians, covered in scars as well as rags, creeping towards her; she was much too busy falling unconscious.

**__**

-

Praeceps: 

Yeay!! A cliffhanger!!

Not very much happened in this chapter, but since the two darlings had a fight in the two previous chapters, that's okay.

I did try outweigh the boring parts with a little humor (Note: MY humor), and a smidgen of revelations, but you know, you can't have it All…

I do NOT need to be informed by anyone that I know very little about that era in Japan, so information sent my way would be graciously accepted, but I don't want to get flamers for making a mistake or two, keep that in mind. 

I can't wait for the following chapters however, because this is when we'll be more seriously trailing off the original plot-line. I just can't wait!! ;-D

And yes I DO know that I write slow, I like it that way, I've never been fond of stories that go zoom, zoom, zoom, so don't expect that from me. I'll keep you hanging on Kagome and any other mysteries / details about the story. (I find enraging you readers a much better stress release than making Kagome smack someone. *wink* Just kiddin!!)

There WILL be more action, I'm just not sure who or why, and most importantly HOW, because with the details I'M NOT TELLING you (heh heh), it makes fights and stuff a bit tricky at times. (Well, that and the fact that fighting really isn't my forte!!) I'm infuriating ain't I?!! *wink*

Oh! And any spelling mistakes can be blamed on incompetent English teachers, and/or my spell-check program, because I, myself, am PERFECT!!! ;-P (and when I say perfect, I MEAN perfect. My daddy said so ;-) 

If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line. I really appreciate all your ramblings (not in anyway meant as insulting, just clearing that up), and might use some for inspiration if permitted, but for now I have my own agenda.

Thanks to all you reviewers, I'll do my best not to disappoint you all.

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	11. Part 10: Loss of light…

Aloha!! (Yes I know I don't speak Hawaiian)

Hallo, og god kveld!! ( I _do_ on the other hand speak Norwegian)

Another chapter up! Ooo, I never thought I'd EVER actually write this much, and still not much has happened (must be infuriating, ne?)

On the plus side, there is some action (well **I** would call it action, anyway) in this chapter, on the minus side it is a tiny bit shorter than normal, but that's because I actually hit a natural stop-spot. I'm actually a tad bit pleased about the way this chapter turned out, but I'll let the matter of judgement fall to you readers.

I might of made the rogues and monster a tad bit more vicious, when describing them, than in the manga, but… I felt it was necessary for the plot as they are different from the original, though you won't see that in this chapter (nah-nah!! Ducks behind desk)

Oh, and before I forget, some reviewers have commented on not knowing when they are speaking or thinking:

" "- speaking

' '-thinking

So I hope there won't be any more confusion concerning that item.

^-^

Now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

(I really should change this disclaimer shouldn't I?)

****

The Seal

Part 10: Loss of light…

__

She was **so** scared. Everything was burning, burning and it was her fault. It must be. It always was… 

And she couldn't move, she was stuck there, blind and scared that someone might find her; and if someone didn't, what would happen then? Would she die, lost and forgotten? Lost in the inky darkness that was the beyond, merely a shadow of her former self?

The smock was thick, muffling the sounds surrounding her, but screams could be heard in the far distance. Like an echo bouncing off of fog. Screams of terror. Shrill and full of horror. **Who's** screams they were she did not know, but the gods have mercy upon them, that they should not suffer the agony of such scorching flames as she was…

She hated this!! All she could feel were strong emotions, and for a long time **hate** had been the only company she'd had, dominating her mind. She wanted to scream at the world that had done this to her. Claw at them until nothing was left, and all the pain was gone. Act as the very caged animal that she was, trapped. She **hated** them, **hated** the world, **hated** herself for letting it happen, **HATED** the fact that whatever else happened, she'd be all alone…

If it all ended, and the flames claimed her, at least she'd be finally at peace, no longer harming others.

As she watched the flames draw closer, sensing it more than seeing it, licking further across the floors, her only thoughts were: **'Please don't find me…'**

***

It was the smack to the floor that woke her, jolting her awake, which was kinda funny as it should have knocked her out, not the other way around. Pinned to the wooden, more like rotting, floor, by two pairs of strong arms belonging to men she couldn't see, Kagome squinted at her surroundings. 

It wasn't much to brag about. An abandoned shrine of some sort, apparently taken over by a band of dirty dishevelled rogues. The stench itself was enough to make most people faint, rotting furniture and sweating men's odour mixing among each other; stale air inside the rooms, which was quite the accomplishment considering that the building was packed with holes.

"Let me go!! Who _are_ you guys?!" she whined at the assortment of ragged men spread around the frayed room, most of them simply ignoring her and others making her wish they _were_ ignoring her. 

"A girl!" a few of them cried out in delight, reaching out towards her before being smacked away by her captors. "She's for the boss!!" a scrawny, yet bigger than her, male growled at them while shoving her further into the floor boards making her grit her teeth from crying out in pain. He didn't hesitate to take a grope at _the_ _boss's girl_ himself.

"We bring the foreign vixen, just as you commanded, master!" smirked the former groper dragging her face up front, to more easily peer at. "Ha! And a right foolish garb her folk wrapped her in!" the other chortled, patting her behind.

Kicking and screaming, though it did no good, trying to wring herself from potential molester's, kept her from noticing him at first. Her captors words fell to deaf ears as she struggled to get out of their strong grip, her body and senses only attuned to two things: Getting away and protecting her jewel.

At first all she saw was a huge bulk in front of her, and for all she cared it could be a sack of rice. As she ran out of strength and energy, her struggling lessened, and she slowly became aware of a face on this huge form in front of her. Vacant eyes, bald head, scars littered across his skin, the "boss" lurched over her drooling, slobbering sakê that the rogues poured him all over the mouldy floor. Bending down over her admits several rude bodily noises, his putrid breath invading her lungs, he wheezed at her: "The jewel… Give me the jewel."

Cringing away from the vile man, his species being up for debate as he kept letting loose sounds that were disturbingly _not_ human, Kagome could not help but bemoan her fate: God, she wished Inuyasha was here…

***

Inuyasha could be found at this point racing through the previously peaceful, but now filled with various curse-words scarring the living daylights out of any forest-dweller, forest named after him, hot on the trail of his quarry. Had Kagome known of the wicked thoughts circling round his mind, concerning her, the jewel, lots of rope, and a pit containing a selection of rabid beasts, and that was one of the _milder_ case-scenarios, she might not have been so quick to wish him to the rescue.

Snorting as he picked up a whiff of her not-so-serene-anymore-but-rather-terrified smell, though it still smelt rather alluring, he sped up his trek through the forest in the direction the smell was coming from.

***

"The jewel of four souls… Shikon no Tama… *burp, wheeze*" 'Eeewe that's disgusting!' "…Give it to me!"

Renewing her struggling efforts, in the desperate need to get away from the… *sniff* …dead creature? Kagome's mind was overly loaded, occupied with keeping her jewel as far away from the horrid being and fighting the very strong urge to retch from the stench. Both were loosing battles…

Her continued efforts to free herself were repaid with a thorough shaking from her captors and another blow to the head, though she did not faint from this one, only turn more nauseous. 

"The jewel…" the boss managed to growl out at her, making him seem even _more_ threatening since he'd taken the effort to seem more coherent, "…where is it?!"

A mild gasp was all that left her lips before the bald rogue dived down towards her, patience having left him, wrenching her from his subordinates grasps. Hanging from his grip on her front shirt, she gurgled, unable to answer from slowly being strangled; her hands, first alternately spasming and flailing, gave up for now and settled, one hand gripping by instinct the source of her strangulation, trying to ease his hold on her, the other drawn to her neck, seeking to protect her charge and the reason for this assault.

The beady eyes of the huge hulk momentary lost their glazed cross-eyed expression, eyeing her instinctive reaction, making her realise her mistake. Tossing her to the side as his other hand swiped at the frail chain, the tall fat bulk of a human let out a sound of primal victory, a gloating grunt, his pig-like eyes focused solely on his prize. 

The jewel, the source of so many a conflict, shone a solemn pink glow, as if aware of its shift of owner, as it was ripped away by its chain, before its pale light went spluttering out, dead, leaving only a cold grey murky orb of stone behind.

**__**

-

Praeceps: 

Yeay!! A cliffhanger!!

Next chapter we get to see how Kagome actually handles fighting (if she can**_ handle it, or not), and where will Inuyasha be…? Will Kagome get the Shikon back? Will Inuyasha save the day? Will I ever reveal to the readers WHY the story is called 'The Seal'? (no)_**

On later reflections, it's sometime hard to give a chapter a title, but one tries…

Oh, and one more note: Technically I am an adult, but I still react like a child (threaten me and all you will get is spite in return) Otherwise all your reviews are amply welcome, and I relish in reading them (my mum complains that I relish a bit to much *grin*)

Oh! And any spelling mistakes can be blamed on incompetent English teachers, and/or my spell-check program, because I, myself, am PERFECT!!! ;-P (and when I say perfect, I MEAN perfect. My daddy said so ;-) 

If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line. I really appreciate all your ramblings (not in anyway meant as insulting, just clearing that up), and might use some for inspiration if permitted, but for now I have my own agenda.

Thanks to all you reviewers, I'll do my best not to disappoint you all.

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	12. Part 11: And it rained red…

Aloha!! (Yes I know I don't speak Hawaiian)

Hallo, og god kveld!! ( I _do_ on the other hand speak Norwegian)

Hey, by this time we should have crossed the 20 000-word line. Yeay!!

Now, I'm moving to England now, to live with my daddy (God bless his little heart that hates that name), so I won't be able to post anything until I'm safely settled and lodged over there. Getting me settled, and what not, will take some time, so I estimate ca. three weeks or a month before you'll probably hear from me again, but I can't promise you that it'll be that soon, though I doubt that it'll take much more than that. (I am probably upsetting someone at this point) 

So in short: This is the last chapter you'll be seeing for a while.

To make it up to you (eh heh…) this chapter is a little longer than my standard chapter-length, AND contains lots of gore (I think) for those of you that have been so kind as to ask for some, so hopefully you will be appeased (and pleased on my behalf as I am escaping this retched cold country).

I haven't changed the rating, it's still PG-13, because where I've been raised it _would_ be PG-13, and lets face, kids can handle it (ooo, I'm gonna get my head bitten). If you have any complaints, we can discuss it later.

If this chapter came out late (I'm writing this early, as soon as I finished the chapter) it's because of trouble with the server/ internet. It's been acting kooky for ages, and keeps throwing tantrums (another good reason to be moving to England)

Oh, and before I forget, some reviewers have commented on not knowing when characters are speaking or thinking:

" "- _speaking_

' '-_thinking_

So I hope there won't be any more confusion concerning that item.

^-^

Now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

(I really should change this disclaimer shouldn't I?)

****

The Seal

Part 11: And it rained red…

Eyes snapping open, mind still groggy from her impact with the wall and eyesight still fuzzy, Kagome stumbled to a stand, slowly righting herself up, body still threatening to collapse as it swayed from side to side. Holding out a hand against the decomposing shrine-wall, to steady herself, the world around her came slowly to a halt. Her head still hurt, her body ached, but that was not important. The jewel _was_.

Grey-blue eyes swept the room. The muscled oaf was eyeing the jewel surreptitiously, ignoring all else, even his men. Casting a glance at the rest of his troupe, all of them occupied, eyeing their leaders prize greedily. For one instance, she was forgotten, that was all she needed.

Kagome lunged for the jewel instantaneously. "No!! Give it to me!!" she snarled, all illusions of innocence wiped away with the loss of her jewel. Caring not for the fact that he was bigger than her, that he was stronger than her, that she was surrounded by enemies and stood no chance. No chance in hell. That was _not_ important; only that she follow the primal urge to attack, to protect, to defend…

It must have been the savageness portrayed in the once so serene face that allowed her to succeed, for though her quarry lurched away from her, he did not do it fast enough. 

A hand reached out. A body was repelled. A jewel reclaimed. And a victor stood proud, the winner.

Gripping the chain that held her precious, she growled at the men that had her cornered, slightly hunched in a defensive pose. Her skimpy kimono fluttered to a pink light pulsing, rippling across her skin, barely seeable as it fringed her clothing. Eyes, covered in shadow as her bangs hung low. A picture most peculiar and hauntingly disturbing.

***

Inuyasha came to an abrupt halt. 

The wind picked up. The skies darkened. Around him the howls of the forest rose in a silent choir. 

Whispers could be heard; everywhere, nowhere; murmured, mumbled:

__

'Kagome.'

A chill ran down his spine. 

Something was wrong.

***

The circle closed in on her, driving her up against a wall, rotting vegetation filling up the holes. The rogues were wary of her with her newly transformed feral appearance, sending each other questioning glances while their boss continued to urge them along. For all her glaring at them, she made no move to intercept.

*Urp* *twitch* *retch* "Get her, NOW!" the beefy man bellowed, loosing patience with his men. 

His yell served both to startle Kagome, flinching away from his voice, and breaking the spell. With the loss of the light, spluttering to a sudden death with her abrupt flinching, the image of her feral rage left, leaving only a frightened maiden behind. 

The rogues leapt at her, no longer fearing her broken image, or if they did, fearing their masters wrath even more; two men seizing both her arms, holding her still; trapped, once again.

Their boss had by now managed to rise to his feet, though he needed the aid of his katana to remain steady, and was slowly, with a drunken gait, making his way over to the men holding Kagome. 

Towering menacingly above her, katana in hand, muscles tensed, his shadow enveloping her, he looked very much the threat even though swaying. "Hold her," he wheezed at them, raising his katana on wobbly feet, taking a careful aim towards her head.

Struggling to get loose, desperate to preserve her life, Kagome fought harder. 'This is it. I'm gonna die,' she thought despairingly, though she never the less continued to struggle, back arching away from the closing-in threat.

The bald scarred man that was the leader continued to take careful aim of her exposed throat as the rogue on her left side pulled her up by her raven hair, taking sadistic pleasure in several practice swings, stopping but an inch from her neck before starting anew, just to make sure his aim was true.

At last he was done aiming. Smiling down at her with a smile that might have been considered goofy had not the situation been so dire, he raised the sword above his head and took a mighty swing.

She screamed. Twisting around from her captors, those preventing her escape, she ducked as low as she could while being held, and by pure desperation, kneed the rogue on her left side between the legs. 

As a strangled sound escaped the rogues lips, he bent over, halfway flailing, halfway clutching himself, letting her go. It was the last thing he'd ever do.

The swish of the sword descended, the force the huge man putting behind it making it unstoppable. The sound of flesh being cut was heard, before the unfortunate victims arm and part of his chest slid off the rest of its body, a meaty thump signifying its descent to the floor, pooling in its own blood. More blood spurted everywhere, rising like a fountain from the wound, coating the sword-wielding hulk in crimson.

Kagome scrambled to her feet, ripping loose from the one rogue still holding her, who was more occupied starring slack-jawed at his slain comrade. Halfway crawling, halfway stumbling, she moved past the body towards the wall, seeking a hole in the rotten wall big enough to let her through.

The hulk ignored the stunned faces of his crew, stomping after his intended prey, while waving his sword, full force, in her general direction. "This time YOUR NECK!!!" he bellowed, not cutting her neck at all as she dodged, but successfully decapitating more of his men in a mass butchering.

"Master, what are you _doing_?" Kagome heard the rogues cry, the horror in their voices clear. Their master however ignored their pleas, continuing his slaughter in pursuit of her, blood raining down in rivulets. 

'This has to end,' she thought wearily, glancing back at the bloody scene where the frozen men were falling like flies by their leaders hand. The rogues might have been bad people, but she didn't want a massacre to occur just so that he could get the jewel. They deserved at least a more dignified death than… than this…

It was in a corner that she spotted it, a lonesome spear, simple and crude, but it would serve its purpose. Dodging yet another slash at her, she swerved right, diving for the spear.

The problem she _now_ faced was that though she had a weapon now, she was trapped in said corner, _and her stalker knew it_. 

Gripping the spear tighter in her small fists, she held the pointed end awkwardly towards him, schooling her face to seem more serious and threatening. 

"Stop! Not a step closer!!" He pushed closer. 

"I-I mean it!! A spear's longer, y-you can't…" A quick swipe at her spear left only the pole behind to defend her. He looked positively smug.

Eyeing the fallen blade, Kagome eyes took up two thirds of her face. Shoulders slumped, she felt like weeping, 'Well, there went that plan. Shit.'

Taking an uncertain stance, casting about for anything that might bring her salvation, Kagome's eyes fell on the door. The exit to the shrine, and the path was clear, if one ignored all the bloody bodies littering the floor; all the rogues were pressed against the wall to escape their masters sword-wielding insanity. All she had to do was get past the oaf pointing a katana at her.

She was sooo dead…

Heaving a sigh, there was nothing else she could do, she was trapped and Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen, she resigned herself to her fate; her muscles tensed, waiting for the right moment to charge. She didn't have to wait long.

The large scar-riddled leader had spent his time gloating. She was cornered. There was nowhere she could escape to. The Shikon no Tama was as good as his!

As the sword rose, time slowed. This was it.

All at once the two exploded into action. As he brought down the crimson blade, Kagome ducked down, crouching momentarily in front of her opponent, back upright. Using the momentum from her rapid actions, she rammed the pole of her broken spear into his stomach, full force. 

The blow wasn't hard enough. She was too small and he was to big, even with her momentum. But it served to stagger him, if nothing else, making him loose his balance. Seizing the opportunity, Kagome made to sprint towards the door throwing caution to the wind. This was her only chance, while he was distracted…

Just as she was beginning to believe that she Just. Might. Make it, the sword, that she had forgotten in her haste, finished its arc, slightly off target due to its wielders unbalance, cutting her flesh.

Everything went red.

***

The salty smell of iron tinged the air, tickling his nose. It was blood. Human blood. Lots of it, judging from the thick smell of it. 

Though part of him savoured the smell of liquid life, thirsting for it, the other half cringed in horror at the direction it was coming from.

Setting a hesitant pace, for him that meant faster than walking, yet not entirely running, he continued on, though he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to see what he was sure was waiting for him at the end of the trail.

As the trees slowly parted, and the smell of massacre and death grew stronger, a form came into view. It was stumbling drunkenly forward, as if dazed, from shadow to shadow, the shadows obscuring its form, trying to hide in them.

Leaning against a tree, the creature suddenly stilled, as if sensing him watching it. Turning slowly around, both figures froze, caught in each others gaze, eyeing each other in morbid fascination.

__

"Inuyasha."

As it stepped out into a patch of light towards him, its features cleared, the sun chasing away the shadows hiding it, and Inuyasha stepped back in dawning horror at the creature's identity.

It was Kagome.

Blood had soaked through her kimono, her skirt no longer a proud forest-green, but flecked a brownish red; her top was in tatters, smaller droplets of blood dripping from the sated material. 

Her hair, once wild, was plastered to her face, slick with the blood-red fluid, no longer the colour of the raven. 

Rivulets of blood were pouring from a wound across her face, from eye to cheek, mixing with sweat.

And then her eyes, those childlike stormy grey-blue orbs, lit up, a stark contrast from the rest of her appearance, sparkling with joy when they landed on him watching her silently.

"I-inuyasha…" she breathed, smiling weakly through her exhaustion, hand reaching out towards him, "You came…" 

And then she collapsed.

**__**

-

Praeceps: 

Okay, THIS time I had NO problem naming the chapter, and I bet you can see why… heh heh.

I hope my limited knowledge of fighting and such didn't disappoint the action-readers too much, but fighting has never been my forte, as stated previously. I do think that I managed to give this piece a nice gory edge, but some might disagree. I'm actually kinda glad that I did it this way, because it has always annoyed me that Kagome gave up just because the pointy bit of the spear fell off, but I didn't want to make her any more skilled than she was in the original.

And for those of you that are guessing at what's gonna happen, I have only one thing to say:

Getting there is only half the fun!! And I really LIKE this journey!! ^-^

This is NOT the last time we see the huge hulk of a rogue.

Oh! And any spelling mistakes can be blamed on incompetent English teachers, and/or my spell-check program, because I, myself, am PERFECT!!! ;-P (and when I say perfect, I MEAN perfect. My daddy said so ;-) 

If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line.

Thanks to all you reviewers, I'll do my best not to disappoint you all.

^-^

Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D


	13. Part 12: The problem with rivers…

Yes, well… heh heh…

Well this is awkward…

I am yet again in business after a downfall of bad luck which you will now be has fortunate to hear me moan about:

The actual transition of moving from Norway to England went without a hitch!! (Good for me!)

The actual problems actually started the following Monday when I had the good graces of falling ill. That lasted out the week.

The next week was spent making up lost time job-hunting (I still haven't found any *sniff*).

The third week to grace me was just rock bottom. My granddad had a stroke and we raced down to check on him. He's still not doing to well… sigh… and NOW the doctors think he might have a tumour. (when it rains, it pours!!)

The forth week was spent with my Nan, looking after her since she has a bad heart and could use some company (being alone, with granddad in the hospital and all…) During this time I wrote a lot of chapters for **_The Seal_ (well 2 ½ looong chapters and lots more footnotes) on my granddads OLD computer, saving it all on a disk I'd brought with me!**

5th week left me in shock when I finally rushed over to my computer at home to post a new chapter. (_'THE SODDING THING INNSISTED THAT THERE WAS NO DISK IN THERE!!'_) 

After a lot of sulking, swearing, and other things best left unmentioned I gave up and had to wait for my dad to return to Nan so that he could send by e-mail back home (as due to corruption of my poor disk, now only my Nan's computer would accept it *grumble*)

So that's where we are now!! Finally with a new chapter, after lots of agony and woe!! I apologise (though it wasn't my fault)!

I haven't changed the rating, it's still PG-13, because where I've been raised it _would_ be PG-13, and lets face, kids can handle it (ooo, I'm gonna get my head bitten). If you have any complaints, we can discuss it later.

" "- _speaking_

' '-_thinking_

^-^

Now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

(I really should change this disclaimer shouldn't I?)

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**The Seal**

**Part 12: The problem with rivers…**

*Flashback* "I-inuyasha… You came…"

After she collapsed, he stood there staring for a while, seemingly in shock, not comprehending quite what was going on. He remembered being angry with her, after all she'd skipped out on him again, and he'd been on his way to punish her… but he couldn't for the life him remember any part of his cunning plan involving finding the bitch in a bloody heap.

It was a spell of dizziness, from the huge amount of blood, that brought him back down to earth, nose twitching. That, and the knowledge that she had in some way or other depended on him to make everything all right judging from the way her face had lit up when she'd spotted him, relief radiating off her in waves.

'Keh. Shows what she knows. What am I, a magician?!'

He glanced down at the broken girl breathing shallowly. She looked pitiful and weak, just as he'd told her she was earlier. It didn't really bring him much pride to be proven right. It didn't seem right. Not at all…

*Flash* "I-inuyasha… You came…"

'Ah, fuck it!' he huffed resignedly. A decision had been made, for better or for worse: For once he'd earn that trusting faith offered him, given so selflessly by the idiot wench. And deep down, if he'd bothered to look, he'd find out that he felt better with this decision knowing that he would earn that smile, deserve it, and that a small spark of warmth was hoping for more to come his way…

After contemplating what to do, he carefully scooped her up into his arms, protectively cradling her close to his chest. Whatever had done this might still be around after all, he reasoned to himself. Plotting his course he took off, a blur racing the wind.

By the amount of blood covering her, he would need the help of the baba, loath as he was to admit it. Miko's knew the art of healing, while the art _he_ knew would be of _no_ use.

However, before he could let the old hag see her something had to be done to lessen the girl's… macabre appearance. Ripped clothing and dripping blood would make it rather troublesome for him to enter the village with her. More like a hazard to his health. The villagers were still a tad wary of him, though they had lightened up after Kagome's speech, and him dragging in the broken Kikyo-reborn after the previous disaster would look… bad.

So instead of heading straight towards the village, he made a detour down to the river. 

It was the most logical choice. She needed to be cleaned; a river is made up of water… 

'Lot's of water.' He eyed the river nervously. The flow of the river was mild, still deep from the amount of rain during rain season, but that had been a while ago, and the pull was of no danger to them. As long as he carried her.

Well, she would've needed to have a bath anyway, he reasoned, and he needed to know the extent of her injuries, how serious they were. 

Eyeing her clothing, he blushed. They would stay where they were, on her person. What little that was left of the rags needed a good wash themselves anyway… And… and even humans deserved some modesty.

Inuyasha sighed. He was stalling. He was stalling, and he _knew_ it. The wench was unconscious, and unconscious people did _not_ scrub them selves. He'd have to undress and carry her into the middle of the river himself. Joy.

His eyes slid over the limp figure. If he didn't do it, then Kaede most likely would. And he'd have to face her with another dead sister… not that Kagome _was_ Kikyo, she'd kill him if he thought that, but Kaede believed so, and the old crone was old. 

And he _really_ needed to see how _bad_ the situation was. Right now it looked horrid: She was breathing raggedly; her clothes were in tatters, though from what he did not know. She was bloody as hell and she had a huge cut marring her face diagonally from her left eyebrow and down her chin. He was worried that it might leave a scar, and with all the blood flowing in the way he couldn't see how deep the cut was. 

And the smell was making him _so_ dizzy…

The clucking of the river beckoned to him, and he finally jumped in, though not before meticulously taking off and folding his inner haori. He didn't want to ruin _all_ his clothing after all…

A small part sigh part moan escaped her lips when her body touched water, letting it drizzle past her, bringing obvious relief to her sore flesh. The smell of sickness and weakness, that had surrounded her slowly and grown steadily stronger, was partially swept away by the flow, loosening its grip on her and leaving in its wake a trail of crimson red.

A piece of cloth was ripped from his outfit, and while he carefully cradled the limp girl with his left hand, mindful of his claws at all times as he didn't want her harmed anymore than she already was, the other meticulously wiped at her wound that had by now started to ever so slightly clot.

Blood started to seep out again and dye his claws momentarily red. It was a horrifying experience as old memories ebbed forth from more bitter times, times he wished he'd never had to remember…

For a moment Inuyasha was back in the burning village, blood beneath his claws, holding the shikon jewel. Screams surrounded him, pressing closer, crowding him and making him feel claustrophobic, panic rising high in his chest…

The water washed away the blood, as Inuyasha awakened as if from a trance. Those were times long past, he reminded himself, and right now a pale girl needed him. He could think about old sins when she was safe. He went back to cleaning Kagome's wound.

As the blood and soil slowly vanished with Inuyasha's patient handling of the wound, a thin long cut came into view. It was neither deep nor shallow, and too strait and clean to have been made by anything else than by a sword. 

A chill went down his spine as he realised how close he must have come to loosing both the wench and jewel. It must have been a sharp sword, most likely a katana, judging from the thin even cut, if it had been blunt the wound would have been more ragged. If whoever had held that katana's aim had been true, her head would have come off. Inuyasha shivered.

As it was she would live, and if the wound healed up without complications there would be no scar to mar her pretty face, unless exhaustion proved too much for her and disease set in, but she was as stubborn as wenches came and the baba would help.

Finally at ease with the situation, and knowing that everything would be all right, Inuyasha deemed her, or himself, ready to confront Kaede.

It was when he stepped out of the river that he noticed it. He'd laid her on the grass, momentarily distracted by what the old miko might do when she saw what a state Kagome was in, and fumbled for his dry clothing, wanting to get away from the cold that the water had left behind, when he'd innocently glanced back at her lying there unconscious. 

It was then that he had noticed that though what few scraps of clothing she had were enough to _cover_ her, they were also very _clean_ now. That alone was no problem, what was the problem was that although the clothes were very _clean_ now, they were _also_ very _wet_, and they were _white_… 

He could _see_ right through them…****

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**_-_**

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**_Praeceps_****_: _**

**_Well… this chapter was sorta humours._**

**_To be totally honest this chapter wasn't planned specifically, but after so much seriousness and drama from the previous chapters we all need to lighten up a bit ( and _**I**_ needed some cheering up after these horrible weeks that've been haunting me!)_**

**_I'm quite pleased to notify you that the next chapter will be a long one!_**

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**_Oh! And any spelling mistakes can be blamed on incompetent English teachers, and/or my spell-check program, because I, myself, am PERFECT!!! ;-P (and when I say perfect, I MEAN perfect. My daddy said so ;-) _**

**_If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line._**

**_Thanks to all you reviewers, I'll do my best not to disappoint you all._**

**_^-^_**

**_Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D_**


	14. Part 13: Alien magic…

Wow…

Two chapters in one week, not bad. (but don't expect any more of this nice treatment. This is purely because I feel a tiny bit guilty about not having posted in such a long while.)

I won't be updating regularly anymore from now on. I got this _really **great news**(notice the sarcasm) about how my granddad only has some few weeks left to live because of a tumour (howling: 'How could they NOT see it until NOW?!')_

To get more to the point: I'll _still_ be updating Sundays/Mondays, just not _every_ Sunday/Monday, unless I've taken a REALLY LONG HIATUS, first then might I be convinced to post a chapter before then. As I said: Things will be happening irregularly…

I'm also toying with the idea to write a Sailor Moon story, maybe crossed with Gundam Wing. This concept just won't leave my head… oh well, we'll see what happens.

Just to assure readers: As long as a story is on my authors-page the story is still running, it might be on the back burner but it's still in the running… The moment I decide to discontinue a fic (not that I have any plans of doing that) it will be stricken from the list. Just so you people know how I work…

I haven't changed the rating, it's still PG-13, because where I've been raised it _would_ be PG-13, and lets face, kids can handle it (ooo, I'm gonna get my head bitten). If you have any complaints, we can discuss it later.

" "- _speaking_

' '-_thinking_

^-^

Now on with the show!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story (if I did I'd be rich, filthy stinkin rich. I'd be off to the Bahamas and… and… and I better come back down to earth as they aren't mine) ; Inuyasha and co all belong to Miss Rumiko Takahashi. Just having plain fun writing about them. ;-P

(I really should change this disclaimer shouldn't I?)

****

****

**The Seal**

**Part 13: Alien magic…**

_Orange__. Red. Yellow._

_"Hello?" _

_Nobody's there. You're all alone._

_"Hello?"_

_Red and yellow and yellow and red.__ Everywhere._

_"Hello? Can somebody help me?! PLEASE?!"_

_Look at all the pretty colours. __Lot__'s of yellow and orange and red. You used to love those colours._

_"I don't like red. I hate it. HATE IT!!"_

_Such a pity.__ Red's such a nice colour… _

_So… flowing…_

_"HELP ME!"_

_You know, you should be more grateful. All these colours, just for you. You didn't use to see so **many** colours. Do you want them gone already?_

_"HELP ME!!"_

_Nobody knows you're here. You know you're all alone. All alone. Nobody's coming…_

_"God it hurts. It burns. Make it stop. I'll do anything, just… make it stop. Please."_

_They can't hear you. Do you want them to hear you? You know what would happen…_

_Burning, burning, all alone…_

_"N-no… No, I-I'll stay…"_

_Yes. Let's watch all the pretty colours. Lots of orange, red and yellow, dancing around us. They don't hurt at all. They bring us peace, don't they? Because we know what they will bring. Let's go to sleep while watching all these pretty colours. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep…_

_"Yes… sleep. Don't come here…"_

_Feet are stepping closer. Whisper-softly, like a cat… Step, step, step…_

_Don't come, because if you did…_

_"No."_

_I don't want to cry anymore. I'm so tired…_

_All the pretty colours…_

_"Burns…"_

_But that doesn't matter, because we are sleeping now and all the pretty colours are dancing over us… for us, because that is what we want… And it doesn't hurt anymore, does it?_

_"No… doesn't hurt…"_

_Not anymore…_

_Tear falls down…_

_Bright colours step closer…_

_"But I wish…"_

_Don't find me. **Please don't find me…**_

_"…I wish…"_

_Please…don't._

_"…I wish…"_

_…I wish I'd met him…_

_"…I wish…"_

_…met him just once before…_

_…I had to leave…_

_"…I… wish…"_

_It's getting harder to breath…_

_"…I could…"_

_Everything's so bright…_

_"…kiss him…"_

_…my choice…___

_…my…_

_Breath.___

_…choice…_

_"…just once…"_

_…before I go…_

_Breath__ in…_

_…I've never been able to before…_

_…breath out…_

_…to make my own choice…___

_…breath in…_

_…breath out…_

_…breath…in…_

_…breath out._

_…_

_It doesn't hurt anymore._

***

She was screaming. That's what woke him up. An unholy screech full of fear and pure terror bouncing off the walls.

Inuyasha was up in a flash, rolling off his tree branch, fully alert. His consciousness had been hovering near wakefulness beforehand, as if expecting this ever since they'd stepped into Kaede's hut the previous eve and Kagome had broken into a fever. A bad fever.

His hackles rose as he edged towards the hut, from where the sounds were coming from; his instincts urging him NOT to go on. Something was _wrong_. 

He could sense movement from someone who must be Kaede, as she naturally would have heard Kagome, having slept next to her and all. But he wasn't sure and that puzzled him. He could hear several families sleeping inside their huts, hear the creaking of the wood as they turned over, hear the child coughing in its sleep. He could smell their individual scents, the burnt charcoal from the fire pit, the herbs they'd used to season the meat.

But he couldn't smell inside Kaede's hut, or what little he could smell was muffled too much for him to distinguish. His ears twitched and strained, trying to catch any hint of sound, but only the loudest bangs and murmurs from, presumably, Kaede seeped out from the little house. It was as if the hut was surrounded by a thick fog, cutting it off from the rest of the world. If he squinted hard enough he could make out a thin outline of pale pink light, flickering around it.

A hand tentatively reached out, a clawed finger hesitant for but a second before touching the barrier.

The energy hovered hesitantly above his skin, as if debating whether he was a threat or not, before tiny tentacles unfurled from the barrier, probing him, prickling at his skin and making him slightly nervous and jumpy, waiting for its reaction.

Another scream came from inside, and the pink energy leapt at him when he was momentarily distracted, seizing him. As he was yanked inside the shield, some of it burrowed into his flesh, sinking in and taking root. 

It was an experience Inuyasha would never fully manage to describe. 

At first all he could feel or see or hear was the pale pink flames, like fire, dancing across his skin and clothes, crackling with energy, and he was terrified. 

Then, magic was humming throughout his veins, singing a duet with his own in a perfect synchronised balance between the pair, and all fear evaporated. The two forces whispered to each other, tasting each other, circling each other in a spiral of cold and warmth, coming together in a frenzied whirlwind at the end of their dance.

When he came to, he was breathless, shaking with the raw power within, sweat rolling down his forehead from the strain. His blood was roaring in his ears, pounding through every blood-vessel in his body, and as he squeezed his eyes open he discovered that everything was _so_ much brighter, more clear and the colours full of more nuances, he could _feel_ the faintest of breezes on his skin, he was _aware_ of the nocturne creatures of the forest beyond the village prowling; the earth was no longer flat, and _he_ was no longer blind. 

And beneath all the warring senses was a more subtle sensation, a small bell-like voice, a soft breathy whisper that would not be ignored:

_Blood-magic…_

_'Blood-magic,' _it sang, constant, insistent; and he knew… for one aching instance he knew, that _that_ was what it was.

Inside the barrier the air was thick with magic, and Inuyasha felt slightly lethargic wading through it, but Kagome had screamed twice now, and Kaede, who he could _now_ sense with ease, was franticly moving about inside the hut scrambling for medicinal-herbs; in the background a water bucket could be heard sloshing. 

He crept in.

She was a sight to behold, of that everyone would agree on. 

Kagome was laying inside, thrashing on her futon, eyes clenched tightly, as if in pain, spasming. Sweat was soaking her forehead, coating it in tiny beads, glistening against her pale skin. Her long black hair, once silken, was in knots, from all her twisting and turning throughout the night. Loud wails escaped her pale white, slightly cracked, lips, which were littered with drops of blood from where she had bitten her lips too hard, as she lay trapped, scarred and alone, in some fever induced nightmare.

Was it always like this when humans were ill? Crouching by the doorway, so as not to be seen, Inuyasha found himself wondering, absorbing every detail with his newly enhanced senses. He'd seen other humans ill before, with fever and such, but Kagome was special. She was a miko. She must be to have freed him and to have burnt the centipede. He'd never seen a miko sick before. 

She looked oddly wild with her hair spread out in tangles, an extra thick layer of the pink energy surrounding her in a cocoon that was pulsing in time to her racing heartbeat. Was the pink light her miko-magic? It seemed in some ways like an alien intelligence; not a part of her, yet protecting her, trying to sooth her. 

Inuyasha had never heard of miko-magic manifesting in this way, but anything was possible. He wasn't a miko-expert after all. What little he knew was that miko's were dangerous to youkai, so he had  stayed clear of them if possible. Kikyo had been an exception, and that was only because she was the guardian of the Shikon no Tama. 

Maybe Kaede knew what kind of magic it was that Kagome was exhibiting?

Inuyasha turned to demand she identify the strands of magic that were hovering around Kagome so possessively, maybe they might explain the girl's strange fever as they were certainly interacting with her on some subconscious level. 

Strangely enough, Kaede, the old hag, didn't seem too concerned with the lightshow. She was hobbling about the small area, apparently oblivious to the many pink flames arching up the walls in the room, busy with trying to hold down Kagome, who was flailing wildly against her, and make sure she didn't injure herself even more. 

'Maybe this is normal,' Inuyasha thought uncertainly, watching the old miko at work, continuously ignoring the pink glow.

Another gargled scream escaped the young girl's lips, the cocoon pulsing in rapid succession to her heart. The thin tentacles shied away from the old miko, in much the same way Kagome was, mirroring her and lashing out in all other directions, agitatedly seeking shelter. 

As if knowing Kaede couldn't see or feel them, was not aware of them, and could thus be of no help to them, the pink tendrils snaked out towards the door, the only area that offered some distance and space away from the miko, flinching every time she brushed against them.

As they drew closer to the door, the tiny tendrils became aware of Inuyasha's presence. The familiar prickling began again, of them probing his aura, making his skin tingle, though milder as they were doing it from a distance. 

There must have been something more alluring about him compared the old miko, maybe because he was a hanyou and had some magic of his own, because once again they lashed out at him, trying to pull him in. He reared back abruptly, having not been distracted this time and had spotted them pouncing with his keen senses. 

He stood a foot out of their reach glaring at them, watching them stretch and hover, tiny whispers and moans radiating from them.

'_"This is normal?!"_ THE _HELL_ IT IS!! _WHAT_ THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!!'

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**_-_**

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**_Praeceps_****_: _**

**_Oooo,_****_ gotta love cliffies!!!_**

**_I like the thought of more action on the horizon!!! And as people might have noticed more info is bound to come your way, about pasts and such… (can you honestly see Inuyasha keeping quiet about this?) _**

**_I must say that I am somewhat disappointed with the reviewers. They can't have read the story too well if they keep gloating about how Kagome is going to sit Inuyasha when she wakes up… SHE TOOK OFF THE SODDING NECKLACE SEVERAL CHAPTERS AGO!!!  _**

The clinking of beads brought him back to the present. The girl was smiling sadly at him, holding the prayer-beads, the very ones used to subdue him. "Here. You can keep them as a memento."

**_HE'S STAYING CLOSE BY OF HIS OWN FREE WILL!!! (the sweety-pie :-)_**

**_Hrm… yes, glad to have gotten that off my chest._****_ Though I love getting reviews (there's no thing closer to heaven) and I would relish getting some more (I simply will NOT stoop to begging), getting reviews that show their not really paying attention _**can**_ be a bit _annoying**_._****

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**_Oh! And any spelling mistakes can be blamed on incompetent English teachers, and/or my spell-check program, because I, myself, am PERFECT!!! ;-P (and when I say perfect, I MEAN perfect. My daddy said so ;-) _**

**_If you have any questions about the story that you find unclear, I will do my best to answer them, as long as I deem them of no harm to my present plot-line._**

**_Thanks to all you reviewers, I'll do my best not to disappoint you all._**

**_^-^_**

**_Well that was all, for today at least, toodles!! ;-D_**


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